


Sixteen Selfies

by PhunkyBrewster



Category: The Mindy Project
Genre: F/M, Friendship, One Shot Collection, Romance, dandy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-19
Updated: 2014-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-19 22:40:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 25,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1486789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhunkyBrewster/pseuds/PhunkyBrewster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A selfie can reveal so much, if you look carefully enough. A collection of sixteen moments between Danny and Mindy. Multi-chapter. Originally posted on FF January 21, 2014</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Selfie 1: Spirit Day

**Caption: Happy Spirit Day! Love, Dr. Lahiri #bullyingsucks #SpiritDay #newsweater**

* * *

Mindy failed to notice the door of her office open as she continued to workshop potential poses for a picture. She also missed the judgmental roll of Danny's eyes when he realized what she was doing.

"Mindy, weren't you doing this very same thing during the entire commute this morning?" he asked, tucking the moderately thin file he held under his arm.

Maintaining her focus, she continued to adjust her body and the angle of the phone simultaneously. "Yeah, and I even managed to get a picture, but the guy next to me was aggressively adjusting his crotch in the background and it was impossible to crop him out," she explained with an air of frustration, raising the phone in the air and giving the coyest smile she could muster while the glowing screen faced her direction. She took a calming breath before snapping the picture, remaining absolutely still until she heard the manufactured _click_ signifying the capture of the moment. She took a second to review the picture. "I want to tweet the perfect picture for Spirit Day."

"Spirit Day?" Danny reiterated, sounding utterly confused by the notion. "What's that?"

Mindy looked away from her phone for the first time since Danny entered her office. She bestowed him with a kind smile, which did nothing to soften Danny's confused expression.

"Spirit Day," Mindy began brightly, "is the day when those against bullying wear purple to show their solidarity." She gestured towards her fuzzy dark purple scooped-neck sweater and plaid pencil skirt. "It also shows their support for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth. Activism, Danny, get into it."

Danny raised his eyebrows in understanding and gave a short nod. "Well, that's pretty cool. Wish I had known; I would have worn a purple tie or something."

"Uuuh, you _would_ have known had you checked your Facebook! I totally sent you an event invite days ago."

"Oh, _my_ Facebook?" Danny questioned in an amused tone. "You mean that thing that you made for me behind my back, despite my very specific wishes? Yeah, shockingly, I don't check that much."

Mindy placed her hands authoritatively on her hips, still clutching her phone, and gave him a dubious glare. "Danny, how else do you connect with your buddies and loved ones? I know you're anything but a chatterbox on the phone and you ignore an irresponsible amount of texts."

Danny gave a noncommittal shrug. "I'm connected enough, Min. I talk to Ma and Richie every few days, my basketball buddies meet at the same time and place each week, I see you every day…what more do I need?"

The question hung idly in the space between them, leaving them both to stare at each other expectantly. It made Mindy ecstatic to hear herself listed as one of the few people he felt a need to connect with. She considered telling him that for a brief moment, but Danny spoke before she could get the words out.

"Well, I, uh, just came by to drop off Darla Church's file. I think you're right; she should definitely be put on early maternity leave and Level 3 bed rest." He handed her the file, which Mindy took with a smile.

"Thanks a lot, Danny," Mindy sighed gratefully, walking around her desk.

"Yeah, anytime," Danny replied quickly just before turning around to exit the room. He stopped in his tracks once he reached the door, then turned around and leaned a little on the door frame. Mindy looked up curiously.

"Hey," he called lightly, absentmindedly tapping the frame rapidly with his knuckle. "You, uh…you look really nice in purple."

Mindy beamed appreciatively at his very unexpected compliment. "Thanks, Danny."

Danny replied with a half smile and a final knock. "Alright, call me if you need anything." He exited the room, leaving a glowing Mindy in his wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I'm sure you've guessed, this collection will include sixteen one-shot glimpses of their friendship/relationship, told through the sacred artistic expression of selfies. They won't all necessarily exist along the same timeline because I am all about exploring different possibilities. My hope is that each little moment reflects an aspect of their relationship that we all enjoy. I hope you enjoy this collection!


	2. Selfie 2: Sweet Dreams, Danny

**Caption: Let's all take a moment to appreciate this gorgeous, gorgeous man. My boyfriend, ladies and gents! #myItalianStallion #cutiewithabooty #goodnightindeed**

* * *

"This is a major violation of my privacy, Mindy! How are you not understanding this?!"

"I just don't get what the big deal is, Danny! It's not like you were naked!"

Danny and Mindy squared off from opposite sides of her desk, staunchly arguing their individual positions regarding Mindy's choice to post a picture of Danny sleeping the night before.

His arms were crossed protectively over his chest. "It doesn't matter! It's a man's natural right to be able to sleep peacefully in his own home –"

"Jesus, Danny, did I take a picture or declare a turf war in your bedroom?!" Mindy interjected caustically.

" – **peacefully** in his own home," Danny raised his voice above hers, "without the risk of his girlfriend taking unauthorized pictures of him when he's most vulnerable! I seriously didn't need to walk into the practice and have Morgan assault me with a massage for 'better sleeping posture' first thing in the morning. That was very uncomfortable and you're entirely to blame for that!"

"Okay, okay," Mindy threw up her hands in brief surrender. "Morgan being as Morgan as possible the second you walk in…got it. I take responsibility for that. But did you _see_ the picture? It was totally adorable, babe!" She stepped forward with her phone in hand, eagerly searching for the picture on her Instagram profile. Once found, she pointed the screen towards her irritated boyfriend. "See? I even jumped in so that you wouldn't be alone! No make-up, even. That's a big-"

"That doesn't help matters, Min!" He began walking around to the other side of the desk. "Bedtime is private. What's next, tweeting a sex tape?"

Mindy rolled her eyes and groaned. "Okay, there's a considerable amount of middle ground between a cutesy picture and **pornography** , Danny! Plus, you'd never agree to a sex tape…unless…"

"Mindy!" he cried, appearing mortified.

"Sorry! Just checking!" Mindy closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "Look, I was about to go to sleep, but then I turned and looked at you…Babe, you were so damn sexy."

Danny raised his eyes while trying not to look quite so flattered. Mindy continued.

"You were the perfect combination of serene and masculine, and the fact that you were sleeping so you weren't even **trying** to look as good as you did made you that much more beautiful. In that moment I was just so proud to call you mine and I wanted to just gloat, brag, make bitches jealous, I don't know. Sometimes it's hard to believe that this is actually happening." Mindy ducked her head, feeling a little embarrassed. "I know it's silly."

Danny softened almost instantly. He took a step forward until he was in Mindy's personal space. Placing both of his hands lightly on her waist, he pressed a light kiss to her forehead before meeting her eyes in a soft, accepting gaze.

"This is pretty unbelievable to me, too," he admitted quietly, allowing his mouth to finally curl upward in a smile. "And I want to flaunt you around, too, you know. You're gorgeous and have such an infectious personality and I'm really, really honored to be your boyfriend. I'm just not big on being plastered all over the internet in my underwear."

Mindy have him a half smile. "I get that. I'm sorry." She leaned forward and kissed his lips gently, pleased to feel Danny's hands pull her in closer. She leaned back enough to look into his eyes with a mischievous glint. "But in my defense, it got, like, sixty likes in ten minutes."

"Is that good? I don't know what that means."

"Oh," Mindy exclaimed suddenly, "and I have to be truthful here and tell you that I didn't just hop in the picture to keep you company; it was totally a passive-aggressive claim of territory. It was my way of saying 'Danny Castellano is _mine_ , skanks!'"

Danny's chest rumbled with low laughter. "I'm fine with that." Danny gave her a couple of short, adoring pecks on her top lip, then the bottom. "Just…give a guy some warning, okay? At least give me the chance to do a few push-ups or something."

Mindy's eyes quickly grew. "Oh, that reminds me! Danny, did you know that you kind of flex in your sleep?!"


	3. Selfie 3: Two Selfies, One Choice

**From: Mindy**

**Danny, I feel a hundred times worse than I look, which is pretty hellish. See!**

**Jan 10, 7:34 p.m.**

* * *

"What the hell does that say?" Despite the assistance of his red reading glasses, Danny desperately squinted at the aged recipe card under the bright stove light. It had been quite a long time since his last attempt to make his aunt's famed chicken tetrazzini. He hated the fact that he even needed a recipe to begin with, let alone an old recipe with ink faded beyond recognition. "How come I never noticed how bad Aunt Tessa's handwriting was?" he wondered aloud to himself in the stillness of his apartment. Suddenly, he realized that he was dangerously close to using too little or not enough flour, and between that and already using a little too much wine while cooking the mushrooms, it was almost enough to convince him to pack up everything and order a pizza.

He detached his glasses and let out a frustrated groan. Running his fingers through his thick hair, his thoughts flitted between looking up a similar recipe and all the other things he could be doing on a Friday night. Peter had orchestrated an office-wide bar outing immediately following work, which didn't sound so awful to him, but knowing that someone would be absent did little to convince him to tag along. As a consolation, he went to the corner market and picked up the necessary ingredients for a delicious meal reminiscent of his Staten Island childhood, never suspecting that something as simple as an old recipe card would create such a hassle.

He took a quick look at the clock on the stove, hoping that his mother had not chosen to go to bed early. _Probably should have called ma to begin with_ , he thought while searching for his phone. As if on cue, he heard the familiar beep of an incoming text and followed it all the way to his bedroom, just under the lamp on his bedside table. He picked it up and glanced at the screen, which displayed a notification for the arrival of a picture message from an old fling.

"Eliana?" he read with great confusion. They hadn't spoken in over four months, and even then there hadn't been much speaking involved. They had a simplistic, tacit agreement regarding their special friendship: if one felt particularly lonely, then that person could call upon the other to come over for some spirited, incredibly adult entertainment. He couldn't even remember specifically how he had met Eliana (he could only remember that it had been on a very long, drawn out night with a few of his friends years ago), but she was a sinewy, flexible brunette who wasn't very shy about her sexuality. It was something that originally drew him to her, but he always progressed with the understanding that they would never be anything beyond the occasional hook-up, of which he was fairly indifferent. They never shared much about themselves aside from their bodies, so a substantial bond was never formed. Danny would never call it an ideal arrangement, but it passed the time and made him feel just a little alive; well, it used to.

There was no denying what he truly wanted these days. He was confronted with it every day at his place of work. She had embedded herself in his life beyond the practice and was openly triumphant of the fact still, even though they had long-since fallen into a pattern of deep friendship. He had shared more of himself with her than he had intended on sharing with anybody and, to his shock, he was entirely willing to share so much more, if she wanted. It was growing into something far beyond his control, even though his knee-jerk response to it all was to control it with all of his might, for reasons he couldn't really articulate.

Still, it tempered his desire for anything less with any other woman, at least for this night. So the aerial snapshot of Eliana sitting cross-legged on her bed in her skimpiest Tiffany blue lingerie with a less-than-subtle invitation to "cum over" did nothing to awaken any primal hunger like it might have months ago. Instead, it saddened him to think that his greatest option right now was to hop to the beck and call of a woman who only bothered to think of him once every few months. The smug expression on her face, the expression of a woman who just _knew_ that this base level of effort was all that was needed to hook him, killed any likelihood of falling into her trap. He knew he was far from innocent in this, but he was pleased to know that he had at least evolved, even if it was somewhat reluctantly.

Eliana's picture only served as a reminder of how much he missed his friend – a friend who had been stuck at her apartment all day, sick. It led him to send a text of his own.

**It was a quiet day at the office without you. ;)  
** **How are you feeling?**

**To:Mindy**

**Sent: Jan 10, 7:32 p.m.**

Danny pressed "send," then made the quick decision to delete the seductive picture from his phone. Before he could ask himself why it was necessary to remove all traces of the other woman when he was very much single, he received another incoming picture. This one was from Mindy. In her usual dramatic fashion, Mindy opted so send a picture of herself in a dark hooded sweatshirt, donning the most adorably pathetic expression. Even with the red-rimmed eyes and wet, rose-tinted nose (and despite her claim that she felt "a hundred times more awful" than she guessed she looked), Danny thought she was so much more beautiful than the half-naked brunette that once graced his phone. He realized that he really wanted to be with her in that moment to take care of and support her. Surveying the current mess in his kitchen, he was suddenly struck with an idea.

**I had planned on massacring a family recipe, but**  
 **I think I can salvage the ingredients and make chicken  
** **soup instead. I can bring you some.**

**To:Mindy**

**Sent: Jan 10, 7:36 p.m.**

He nervously pressed send, hoping that he wasn't imposing too much. Before he had time to question his decision too much, he received a very enthusiastic reply.

**From: Mindy**

**OMG, YES. Absolutely. Come over! Sorry  
in advance if I cough on you. :o)**

**Jan 10, 7:37 p.m.**

He couldn't remember ever receiving a more appealing invitation in his life.


	4. Selfie 4: Caught

**Possible caption: MR. WEDDING STRIKES AGAIN!**

* * *

Peter continued to rotate his phone in his left hand while leaning against the desk in his office, waiting for both guests of the emergency meeting he has called to arrive. He certainly didn't appreciate how they were taking their sweet time to get there, but he tried not to take too much offense, assuming that Danny was finishing up with a patient file and Mindy was just…taking her time as she normally did. He wouldn't ordinarily be in such a rush, but he had been holding on to this revelation all weekend and he was ready to burst.

He was beginning to contemplate dragging the latecomers (or attempting to drag, since both of them had a vicious temper) by their ears when he heard his door creak open. Danny already appeared bothered while Mindy, close on Danny's heels, seemed curious, yet optimistic.

"Okay, what's so important that it couldn't just be sent in an e-mail?" Danny demanded. "And where's Jeremy?"

Mindy shut the door behind her. Her expression was hopeful. "Ooh, are we planning a prank against him?" She stepped forward until she was standing next to Danny. "I went to school with a girl who now works for the state immigration department. Seriously, guys, I've been sitting on this idea for a while now."

Peter simply narrowed his eyes and shook his head with an air of disgust. "You two must think you are so damn slick."

Mindy and Danny looked at each other, expressionless, then looked at Peter.

"Peter, I really don't have time for this," Mindy sighed. "What are you even talking about?"

"Ya been caught, girl," Peter spat, taking a step closer to the pair. "Ya. Been. Caught."

"Spit it out, Peter," Danny commanded, his arms crossed over his chest and his expression stern. Without further prompting, Peter flipped over his phone and immediately began scrolling through his pictures until he found the one he was looking for.

"Check it out." Peter handed the phone to Mindy and she took a second to look at the picture. The snapshot was clearly taken at the wedding of a fellow doctor, which took place two days prior. The main focus of the picture was Peter, who had acquired a champagne bottle and a pair of red, over-sized novelty sunglasses that were stolen from the photo booth. He seemed to be laughing very loudly, as if he were having the time of his life.

Mindy quickly noted how the picture was off center and that Peter's main concern was what he managed to catch in the background. Her and Danny could be seen dancing very closely, with one of his hands dipping dangerously low on her back while the other held her hand close over his heart. Their eyes were locked and the look they shared, however relaxed, looked like one that could only be shared between obvious lovers. A serene smile played on both of their lips. Mindy, stunned into speechlessness, passed the phone to Danny, who needed even less time to spot the featured attraction. He closed his eyes and painfully exhaled through his nose.

Peter took advantage of the silence to needlessly clarify, "You two love nuts photobombed what was _supposed_ to be my new Facebook default pic with your uncontrollable need to eye-bone each other!"

"Peter!" Mindy cried as Danny shoved the phone roughly back to its owner.

"I'm sorry," Peter conceded humbly, then corrected. "I meant _lovingly_ eye-bone each other. Lovingly, obviously."

Mindy stepped forward and shoved her colleague. "The lack of adverb is not the issue here, you perv!"

Danny gently pulled Mindy back and kept his hand on her upper arm in an attempt to restrain her. "Look, Peter, we're sorry we ruined your picture, it was obviously unintentional. I'm sure you can Photoshop us out, no big deal. We just don't need our personal lives broadcast throughout the practice, so your discretion will be very much appreciated."

Peter answered with a curt, dramatic chuckle. "Oh, Danny boy, I don't think so. See, this is exactly the leverage I've been waiting for. I've been here for months and you two," he emphasized with a point of his pointer and middle fingers, spread apart to indicate both offenders, "still don't respect me as much as you really should! So here's the deal." Peter walked dramatically behind his desk and took a seat in his chair. He leaned back and propped his feet up on his desk. Twiddling his thumbs with his best effort at looking like an evil mastermind, he continued. "I will gladly keep your secret near and dear to my heart, forever and always, if you guys agree to a few terms. First –"

"Wait a second," Danny interrupted hotly, "Your brilliant idea was to _blackmail_ us into _respecting you_?!"

Taken aback, Peter stilled his thumbs and gaped at the couple for a few seconds. Rather than wait for an answer, Danny abruptly turned around and began to storm out of the office. Appearing to think better of it, he turned back just enough to be able to grab Mindy's hand. "Come with me, baby," he mumbled gruffly, leading her out of the office. He stopped outside of the door, where Peter could hear him announce loudly, " **Attention, unbelievably nosey staff**!"

Peter leaped from his desk and made his way to the door in order to witness Danny's outburst.

"Mindy and I have been dating for almost six weeks now. Betsy, _relax_ , please."

Betsy, wide-eyed and excited, could be seen trying to reign in her giggling hysterics (and failing miserably) while still rapidly clapping.

"We didn't tell anybody because there was no need to. If you have any questions for us, please take a moment to first ask yourselves why you are so creepily invested in our relationship, then proceed to mind your own damn business." He gave Peter one final, deathly glare before marching off to his own office and firmly shutting the door, missing Tamra's cry of "Ugh! Attitude!"

Mindy turned around to face Peter with a self-satisfied expression. She pushed her glasses off the bridge of her nose, securing them closer to her face. "You should know that I'm now headed off to furiously make-out with my boyfriend, as seeing him put you in your place was one of the biggest unexpected turn-ons of my young adult life."

She quickly disappeared down the direction leading to Danny's office, leaving a defeated Peter to hang his head in disappointment and search for a photo editing app.


	5. Selfie 5: Dress Up

**From: Mindy**

**S.O.S! I need your help picking out a dress for tonight! Reply quick, I'm in the shop now! Sending pics.**

**Feb 22, 9:04 a.m**

* * *

After going through the gamut of possible emotions he could be experiencing, Danny finally arrived to the conclusion that he was pissed. Though he wasn't thoroughly convinced that he had a real right to be, it would explain why he aggressively jammed his hooded sweatshirt over his head, tied his sneakers uncomfortably tight, and was mindlessly headed to the gym (after already completing his Saturday morning run) to quench a steadily growing need to punch something, _anything._ He gave one last contemplative glance at the bottle of aged scotch on his kitchen counter, considering that a glass of that would be easier than heading all the way downtown and far more delicious. After a little more thought, he decided that scotch was more appropriate for drowning sorrows (although, admittedly, there was _some_ sorrow), not alleviating aggravation. Furthermore, there was something fundamentally unmanly about slipping into a drunken stupor over a simple text.

"Nah, screw that," he muttered to himself as he hopped off of his couch with a sudden desperation to move. He quickly ducked into his room and grabbed his haphazardly packed gym bag before making his exit. He was so engrossed in making sure the bag was securely shut that he missed the single knock on the door just before he hastily swung it open. There stood Mindy, who quickly transitioned from "startled" to "annoyed."

"Seriously, Danny?!" Mindy shrieked. "First you ignore my obviously critical texts, then you try to scare me to death?!"

It took Danny a few seconds to fully register just who was standing at his door. As soon as it sunk in, he remembered just how much he wanted to distance himself from her.

"Mindy, I really don't have time for a visit," he said coldly, nodding his head towards his bag before grunting "Gym."

Mindy rolled her eyes and placed her free hand on her hip. Her other hand appeared to be occupied by a couple of shopping bags. "I know you ran this morning. You run every Saturday morning," she reminded him. He couldn't remember ever reviewing his weekend routine with her. Then again, he thought, she's always had a way of getting him to open up to her about little things like that. The fact that she remembered flattered him for only a second before he remembered that he was upset with her.

"Doesn't matter, I'm heading out-"

"This won't take long." Mindy nudged past him insistently and invaded his apartment, walking over to the couch and setting down her shopping bags. Danny looked up at the ceiling with exasperation and rubbed his eyes. The woman was like a tornado at times. "Besides, if you had just answered my text, then this visit wouldn't even be necessary. You know I have an important date with Calvin tonight and I needed a male opinion on what to wear!" She pulled out a red, cocktail-length dress, which he recognized from the first photo she sent him that morning. "I even had the courtesy to take pictures wearing both dresses so that you could get the full affect and make an informed decision." She laid the dress over the back of the couch before diving into the second bag. "But you ignored me all morning! So now, because of your negligence –"

"Mindy."

"-I'm here to beat an opinion out of you, if necessary-"

"MINDY!"

Finally silenced, Mindy stood there with the second dress, a black and purple halter dress, hanging helplessly from her index finger. Her eyes were perfectly rounded as she waited for Danny to continue.

"I really can't do this with you right now," he said, almost pleadingly.

"Can't or won't?" she whined. "Danny, I need your help!"

"You don't _need_ my help! You have other friends!" Danny readjusted the bag strap on his shoulder as if to reconfirm his intentions of leaving. "Just bug someone else!"

Mindy starred at him incredulously, her mouth agape. When she finally found her voice, she was incensed. "God, why do you insist on being such a bad friend right now?!"

The bitter laugh that escaped from Danny's lips surprised them both, as did the alacrity of his growing frustration after hearing the word "friend."

"No, sweetheart, you don't want a friend, you want a stylist," Danny accused flippantly. "You want me to dress you up all pretty and send you on your way. A friend tells you the ugly truth…and trust me, you don't want that."

Danny knew that last part came across as a challenge, so when Mindy's eyes were reduced to daring slits as she draped the dress she was holding over the back of the sofa, he took a moment to cross his arms defensively over his chest while she took a step forward until her stance was perfectly squared with his.

"You know what, Danny? C'mon," Mindy waved her hands towards herself in a beckoning fashion. "Bring it. You're clearly pissy and have a lot to say, so say it." She rested her hands on her hips expectantly, tapping her foot anxiously.

There was a thick silence while Danny contemplated cutting the conversation short and walking out of the apartment to cool off before saying anything potentially damaging. He tried to remember that this woman, no matter how infuriating she could often be, was still his closest…friend, as much as the word disgusted him at the moment..

But she needed to hear it. And he needed to say it.

He uncrossed his arms just long enough to let the bag slip from his shoulders and plop to the floor. Maintaining tense eye contact, he took a step forward.

"Alright, then, here it is," Danny began in a low voice. "I don't feel like playing costume hour with you and then sending you off on another useless date with a man who won't matter two weeks from now. You know how to dress yourself; you don't need me to pick out a nice outfit. You want me to help you change into whatever skewed vision of allure you've concocted this week. I have no interest in helping you mold yourself around some loser who doesn't really know you, nor seems all that interested in really getting to know you. Here's the thing, Mindy: a real man, a man who's worth his salt, does not give a shit about 'the perfect dress' because he is there to spend time with **you** , regardless. He's not going to care if you're in a mini skirt or sweats if he's truly there for you, but you know what kills me about all of this? What kills me is that you already _know_ all of this crap!" He can't pinpoint exactly when his voice reached this volume, but he was now yelling pretty loudly. "You know you don't have to go through all this, but you choose to with every pretty boy you meet because you have it stuck in your head that you don't deserve more than a nice set of teeth and a mediocre level of interest. You're willing to sacrifice a genuine, worthwhile connection that might not include all the bells and whistles for the possibility of a half-assed romantic comedy scene written by Nora Ephron and I'm supposed to just sit back and wish you luck! Mindy, you are one of the smartest people I know. It kills me to see you act this stupid!"

The end of Danny's rant was met with more silence. He watched her face intently, waiting calmly for a response. He could tell that he had struck a nerve with her, but he also knew that her brand of stubbornness and pride would keep her from admitting it. She took a step forward with her hands still fixated on her hips.

"So, I change myself to appease men and am heavily invested in romantic comedies?" she summarized in an alarmingly calm voice. "That is your best, most original shot?!"

"It wasn't a shot, Mindy-"

"I hope not!" Mindy exclaimed shrilly. "Because, much like you, that was quite lame. First of all, and let me be very clear about this," she emphasized with a point of her finger and a deliberate dip in the tone of her voice, "you will never in your life call me stupid again. Secondly," she plowed through, effectively trumping any attempt by Danny to interject, "you, sir, are the last person to dole out judgment when it comes to dating. Y'know, whenever I would see you latching on to some boring, ineffectual woman that I just knew you didn't have any true interest in, I would think _Wow, he must really be_ that _lonely_. _He must be_ so desperate _for some sort of connection_. And, like an idiot, I would actually feel sorry for you. Then after a while, I realized something: you're not desperate, Danny, you're _lazy_. You're lazy and, worst of all, a _coward_."

"Excuse me?!" Danny boomed indignantly. For a man who prided himself on his bravery and admirable work ethic, this felt like a low blow. Mindy knew just the right buttons to push, that much he could admit about the woman.

"You heard me!" she countered, raising her voice just as he had earlier. "You walk around with this Christina-sized chip on your shoulder, trying to pass the time with these dull bed fillers because you're too chicken shit to trust your ability to pick a decent woman, like you're too afraid that the next one you invest in will cheat on you like she did! And heaven forbid you actually _do_ find a good one, because that would mean that you'd have to be somewhat vulnerable again or, even worse, actually **try**. No, the boring ones are simple, so why aspire for more? Maybe I try a little too hard to be more appealing sometimes, but at least I make the effort and put myself out there and at least these men, no matter how lowly you think of them, show some damn interest!"

Silence once more. This silence, however, was much more deafening than the yelling that preceded it. They had managed to lessen the distance between them in the midst of their argument and after everything that had been said, Danny couldn't tell if he wanted to shake Mindy or kiss her. Then he realized just how often he had that dilemma, which is where a lot of his frustration stemmed from in the first place.

Danny was certain of one thing: he was right in all of this. He was right, per usual, and Mindy was wrong. He could understand why she would _believe_ some of the things she did. Sure, he had been a little cautious after things feel apart with his ex-wife. Who wouldn't be? But he wouldn't say that it had a major affect on how he proceeded with women…not intentionally, anyways.

And the women he dated were… _fine_. They were nice, they didn't impose, they were pretty…maybe a tad tame, but who says that's a bad thing? They existed in his life in a non-threatening, non-disruptive way…like attractive wallpaper.

And just because he didn't spout cheesy pick-up lines or vomit Shakespearean sonnets, that didn't mean that he didn't show interest! He was nice to her and walked her home sometimes and stood up for her whenever necessary. She might've mistaken that for normal perks of friendship, but that's her mistake, not his! And how could she miss the undercurrent of interest in his overall grumpiness and moments of complete avoidance?

 _Damn, she_ _'_ _s a little right_ , he thought. He still didn't believe that she was entirely correct, but she was right enough to tell him off the way she had. He knew he should own up to it, but where would that leave him? Where would that leave _them_?

Danny was shocked that Mindy had remained silent (though she was still very clearly upset) the entire time he had worked this out internally. It was his turn to say something.

"Do you still want my opinion?" he asked feebly.

Mindy dropped hands to her side, blown away once again. "Are you freakin' kidding me?"

Ignoring her befuddled expression, he moved past her to the couch and lifted both of the dresses, examining them listlessly. After a few seconds, he tossed back the halter dress and moved to stand in front of Mindy, holding up the red dress between them.

"I really liked how you looked in this dress," Danny explained in a soft voice. Mindy looked up at him, her eyebrows slightly furrowed and her lips just a little apart. He was happy to see most of the anger evaporate from her face. "It compliments both your body and your personality very well. Can I make a small change, though?"

Mindy opened, then closed her mouth, at a loss for what to say. She chose to give a little nervous shrug, which he took as permission to continue.

"Instead of wearing it for some guy who won't notice or care about the amount of effort you've put in for him," Danny continued in an excruciatingly low tone, looking into her eyes with determination, "wear it for a guy who will make sure you know just how great you look in it...and I don't mean with some back-handed compliment, I mean really tells you how much he appreciates it." He swallowed anxiously. "I would appreciate it, you know."

Mindy's eyes bulged, but she didn't move away. He continued.

"You could wear it tonight and I could take you to dinner, and you can spend the night telling me how much of a lazy jerk I am," he offered with a small smirk. "Or you can keep what you have on right now, doesn't matter to me."

Mindy, dumbfounded, looked down at her jeans, sneakers, and multi-patterned hooded jacket. "Danny-"

"I'm serious, Mindy, I don't care what you wear," he insisted. He waited for her to catch his eyes again before adding, "Just…go out with me instead."

They stood together for a moment longer- Mindy with her raised eyebrows and Danny with his bobbing Adam's apple – before Danny handed her the dress and stepped around her. Mindy's eyes followed him in confusion.

"You don't have to answer me right now," Danny assured her. "I'm going to head to the gym for an hour, but I'll be back." Danny made his way to the door, leaned forward and picked up his gym bag. "Just stay here and think about it, okay? Make yourself at home, like only you know how. If you stick around, I'll make us some lunch and we can talk. If you want to pretend that this never happened, then do me a favor and just lock up, okay? You know where the spare key is."

He gave her one last look before leaving her in his apartment. He exhaled and quickly made his way to the elevator, not hearing the sound of Mindy loudly exhaling as she flopped on the couch. After the shock dissipated, she smiled and slipped off her shoes.


	6. Selfie 6: Race To The Finish

**Caption: " #TwitterlessDanny and I made it across the finish line! Victory's never tasted so sweet! #PuppyFunRun #ImissmyFatSteps #Wearethechampions**

* * *

"Danny! DannyDannyDanny, look!" Mindy tugged on Danny's shirt as they jogged side-by-side. "They finally opened up that new bakery, Eat Your Feelings! We should check it out!" A pair of runners sped past Mindy and Danny on either side.

"Right this moment?" Danny huffed. "We're kind of in the middle of something!"

"A quick stop won't make a huge difference!' she argued. Another runner whizzed by Mindy with long strides. "It's not like we're being timed, nobody will notice our brief absence. We can pop in, sniff the air, then get back on the route!"

"No, Mindy, I'm timing us," Danny responded as he gently redirected Mindy, who was veering towards the direction of the bakery. "Don't you want to know how well you do for your own personal knowledge?"

The question was met with a dramatic eye roll from his running companion. "Leave it to Danny Castel-lame-o to suck all the fun out of a fun run."

"Okay, why even sign us up for this 5K if you're not even going to try?"

"Because it's for charity and the video on the website was so heartbreaking!" Mindy admitted readily. "By the time I realized that I could have just donated the money and skipped the stupid running part, it was too late. Damn that Sarah McLachlan!"

They jogged for another minute before Mindy could be heard gasping for air and dragging her feet against the pavement.

"Oh, God," she sputtered. "Danny, I can't. I can't keep running. We have to stop."

Danny sped up so that he was safely in front of Mindy, turned around, and began jogging backwards so that she could see his expression of incredulity. "You can't be serious! I don't think we're even a third of a mile in! C'mon, we definitely don't want to be last, even if this isn't technically a race."

Mindy came to a complete halt, then bent over with her hands on her knees, attempting to catch her breath. Danny stopped with an audible groan of frustration. "We can't all possess the athleticism of Rocky Balboa like you, Danny."

Danny tried to hold back a flattered half-smirk. "Shut up, I'm not…Rocky, I mean, c'mon…"

"Ugh, try to look a little less pleased with yourself, please?" Mindy urged in disgust. "Let's just walk for a little bit, then we can sprint to the finish…or my version of sprint, which will probably just be a fast walk."

Danny reluctantly conceded. "Okay, fine, but just for a little bit. There are old ladies and children in this run. If we come in behind them, that'll be pretty embarrassing."

The pair walked on the far right side, allowing the serious participants to pass them one-by-one. When one of them happened to be one of the "old ladies" that Danny mentioned, Mindy snickered at the pained expression on his face.

"You are so ridiculously competitive!" Mindy cried. "Like, almost needlessly so." Danny shrugged.

"I can't help it," he replied, "I've always been this way. Even when I was a kid, I tried to be the best at everything I did. I figured it was the best way to get my dad's attention. Didn't work, but y'know…"

Mindy looked at him, blinking in amazement at his abrupt moment of transparency. "Wow, Danny, that was oddly revelatory of you! But I totally get it. Growing up in a family of doctors and lawyers kind of forces you to be super competitive. To be informed that you're going to be doctor when you're five years old? Who says kindergartners can't be stressed?"

Danny looked upon Mindy with a newfound compassion. He had always imagined Mindy as a bubbly, chatty preteen surrounded by boy band posters and all things fluffy. Of course, he understood that she was also very smart, but he never considered the possibility of a young Mindy affected by the pressures of familial expectation.

"Wow, Min, that must have been rough," he sighed.

Mindy shrugged. "I mean, it was sometimes, but at least I had my own drive to fuel me. I _wanted_ to help women for a living. Rishi had it way worse. Plus, it totally shaped me into the badass I am now and now I don't feel so pressured to prove myself, you know? I'm successful, so I can just…be the person I want to be and screw anyone who doesn't like it."

With a smile and a friendly nudge of the shoulder, Danny replied fondly, "Anybody who doesn't like the person you are is obviously…crazy."

Mindy thanked him with a bright smile and returned the nudge as they continued their slow walk. Herds of runners continued to bypass them as they maintained their slow pace, talking about their individual childhoods, brothers, high school prom stories, and their first experiences with alcohol. Mindy learned that Danny still kept up with his dancing, even going as far as to take the occasional tap lesson at the community center when he was feeling particularly nostalgic. Danny was shocked to hear Mindy's passionate, well-structured argument explaining why the members of N'Sync were much better musicians than the Backstreet Boys (and even more shocked to find himself persuaded by it), followed by the revelation that she was the captain of her middle school debate team.

Two-and-a-half miles later they passed another newly opened, rock music-themed bakery, Rolling Scones. After questioning the sudden popularity of baked goods, Danny allowed himself to get pulled in. He and Mindy split a large cupcake as they talked some more and people-watched the remaining 5K participants through the shop window. Mindy laughed so hard at Danny's snarky commentary that she almost choked on some of her frosting. The incident caused them both to laugh harder while two of the employees stared at them curiously and whispered amongst themselves.

They eventually left the shop, each with a white to-go bag of goodies, and continued leisurely down the marked route. Neither seemed to notice, nor care, that they were the only apparent runners left until they reached what looked like the finishing area. Volunteers were picking up discarded water cups and taking down balloons when they approached.

"Hey!" Danny called out. The volunteers looked at the pair with great confusion. "Is this the finish line?"

The male teenage helper holding the garbage bag looked at the others before replying, "Uh, it _was_. We're wrapping up. The event is pretty much over; all the runners got back, like, an hour ago...including the guy missing both of his legs."

Mindy and Danny looked at the group of judgmental workers, then down at their bags of baked goods before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Danny, I am s-so sorry. I'm p-pretty sure we're last," Mindy stuttered in between her guffawing.

"Whatever," Danny dismissed laughingly. He turned to the young woman on the ladder who was working on taking down the 'Finish' sign. "Hey, can you leave that sign up for a second? My friend and I have a race to finish." The woman smiled and nodded as she descended the ladder.

"Ooh, Danny! Let's take a picture of us eating our eclairs while we cross the finish line!"

"You got it."

The pair hastily removed their pastries from the bags, turned around, and stood closely together while Mindy snapped a photo of them taking a big bite with the finish line and the puzzled volunteers in the background. Cheering obnoxiously, they both jogged to the finish.

"Wahoo! What was our time?!" Mindy asked excitedly as she rubbed the crumbs off of her face.

Danny took a look at his watch. "Two hours and forty-six minutes."

They dissolved into another bought of laughter as the trash-holding volunteer wondered how they could be so excited after doing so poorly. "What a couple of weirdos."


	7. Selfie 7: Senior Prom

**Caption: Debbie taking a picture with Broadmoor's newest volunteers, Dr. Castellano and Dr. Lahiri! What a beautiful night!**

* * *

It began when a local retirement facility approached the doctors of Shulman's Women's Health Associates about hosting a sexual health presentation for its residents, citing the hope that it would help to tame an "active" community. Jeremy immediately delegated the task of representing the practice to Mindy and Danny, cringing at the thought of doing it himself and fearing the possible ramifications of sending Peter, Morgan, or Tamra. Despite their initial reluctance, they came together to create a very informative, comprehensive presentation (which inspired a lot of direct, colorful questions from the residents). Though the circumstances were unorthodox, Mindy was thankful for another reminder of how well she and Danny worked together.

They were packing up their diagrams after the seminar when Debbie, the head nurse, quickly appeared at their table with a smile.

"Thank you both so much for coming today," she said graciously. "Serenity Creek over on 28th Avenue just had a major STI outbreak, so we've been on high alert." She leaned forward to whisper, "Last week I caught Mr. Kilner handing out flyers for a swingers party he was attempting to throw in the activities room!"

Danny and Mindy muttered "gross" simultaneous before Debbie continued. "This presentation comes just in time for the annual Broadmoor Senior Living Prom tomorrow night. Hopefully, this will scare them out of any crazy ideas."

Mindy raised her eyebrows in interest. "Did you say 'prom'? Like, a formal dance for the seniors?"

"Oh, yes!" the nurse confirmed brightly. "I mean, it's not like a regular prom – it'll be over by eight o' clock – but it's such a wonderful event! It's held at the community center, some local businesses donate food and gorgeous decorations. Even some of the high school kids help volunteer and keep the residents company. Everyone looks forward to it each year, even me. Actually, we are still in need of some volunteers if you know of any-"

"We'll do it!" Mindy blurted excitedly. Danny's head snapped in her direction, bearing an expression of shock and annoyance.

"That's awesome!" Debbie squealed with a clap of her hands. "Everyone will be so happy to see you both again and we could really use the extra supervision, especially around these sneaky-" Her pager began to urgently beep. Debbie rushed to check it. "I'm needed at the nurse's station. I better go, but I'll see you both tomorrow!" She turned around to hastily leave, but not before informing them that the event was semi-formal over her shoulder. Danny rounded on Mindy as soon as Debbie was out of sight.

"Why do you always feel the need to rope me into these kinds of things?" Danny hissed.

Mindy immediately threw up a hand and gave him an unflinching look. "Okay, Danny, we both know that you barely put up a fight just then, so take it easy. First of all, it's a _prom_ for the _elderly_ ," she emphasized dramatically. "You will never in your life see anything this adorable again."

Danny furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Mindy, we deliver babies for a living. We see adorable stuff every day."

"Shut up," Mindy commanded swiftly. "Two, when you agreed to be my best friend, you tacitly agreed to accompany me to any and all parties and occasionally engage in celebrity gossip, just like me being your best friend apparently means going with you to awful pizza places and suffering through your rants about airport security. Third, we'd be doing something good, which we should really strive to do more. Fourth, and this is very important, Danny," Mindy paused, "some of these residents are veterans. _War_ veterans," she needlessly clarified.

"Oh, here we go," Danny groaned.

"Veterans who fought so valiantly for our freedom," Mindy continued in a dreamy tone. "They probably had bullets just miss their heads more times than we can count…the least we can do is supervise them while they two-step to Willow Smith."

"Are you really serious right now?"

"Do it for the vets. _America_ , Danny."

"You have got to stop pulling the patriot card on me, Mindy."

Mindy simply stared at him hopefully until he finally sighed, then caved. "Fine. But you're buying me a drink afterwards!"

"Wow, just a drink? No dinner? You're a cheap date," Mindy teased with a light push of his shoulder.

Danny smirked. "Just don't expect me to put out…unless you're buying me two drinks."

Mindy playfully smacked his upper arm and laughed. "We can meet at my place beforehand. The center isn't far from my apartment, I think."

* * *

Danny arrived in a blue dress shirt and dark jeans. _Danny always looks great in blue_ , she thought just before his joke from the previous day about putting out echoed in her head. She quickly banished the memory (for the third time that day) and returned to the present in time to hear Danny say quietly, "You look beautiful."

Mindy looked down at her sparkling yellow sleeveless dress and replied, "Thank you, Danny!"

He gave her a crooked smile. "Who knows, Mr. Kilner might be handing _you_ a flyer by the end of the night."

"Oh, shut it," Mindy chided. "Come inside while I grab my purse."

* * *

Then center was decorated beautifully. While there wasn't a clear theme, the color scheme was light blue and silver. There were banners, balloons, and an area for the elderly couples to take professional prom pictures. There was a refreshments table, but Mindy noticed that it mostly consisted of fruit, soft snacks, and a severe lack of sugar and salt. She made a mental note to visit the nearest diner on the way out.

The wall was lined with silver-framed black-and-white photos of some of the seniors, taken decades ago. Mindy marveled at how classically beautiful and handsome some of them had been in their youth. She chanced a glance Danny, wondering how he would age in the coming decades. She was surprised to find him looking at her, as well.

The seniors arrived just a few minutes later. Everyone appeared to be awestruck by the décor. One crotchety man complained loudly about the "crappy food," which Mindy whole-heartedly sympathized with. Some of them took time to compliment both her and Danny sweetly, one making sure to tell her that she looked like a young version of a beautiful actress from the early 1930's whom she'd never heard of, and another calling Danny "tall and handsome."

"Tall, you say!" Danny repeated with a kind chuckle. "Oh, bless you."

Neither of them had been prepared to have as much fun as they ended up having. When they weren't taking pictures with the staff and other volunteers, they were dancing with some of the residents to music from the fifties. Mindy formed a bond with the man who complained about the food, talking for a while about how the spread would look had they been in charge. Danny was especially popular, twirling all of the ladies and patiently teaching them simple dance moves. The sight continually warmed Mindy's heart throughout the dance. For the first time in a while she didn't bother to tamp down the beyond-platonic affection she felt towards him. Instead, she was thankful for the abundance of distractions that allowed her to observe him without fear of getting caught.

"You should probably go over there and save your boyfriend from that pack of she-wolves," Mindy suddenly heard from her right. The raspy warning came from Rita, a bespectacled resident from Brooklyn. Mindy had cataloged her in her memory as the woman with the kindest eyes and the boldest tongue.

"Oh, Rita, he's not my boyfriend," Mindy explained, trying her best to mask the tone of regret in her voice.

The elderly woman didn't seem to notice. "Well, of course, he's your boyfriend!" she insisted. "And you must be his girlfriend, they way you two have been looking at each other all night! But I'm telling you, that won't last long if he's not more careful...especially around that awful Verna." She pointed a shaky finger at a pale of average height with bright silver hair, which was pulled into a bun on the side of her head. She was swaying from side to side to a rhythm of her own making, staring scandalously at Danny. Rita leaned over and said with a stage whisper, "Verna's the community hussy."

Mindy bit her inner cheek to prevent herself from laughing at the scene before her and the gossiping old woman. She whispered playfully, "I _should_ go over there and help him out, huh?" Rita smiled kindly and nodded, urging Mindy with a gentle push.

Mindy made here way over to Danny and the group of ladies, who were surrounding him and seemingly enraptured. She could physically feel all of her internal organs melt with the smile he gave when he caught sight of her coming towards him.

"Ladies," Mindy greeted. "Can I cut in?"

The group parted to allow her to come closer. One of the women gushed, "You are so sweet to let us borrow your boyfriend for the night!"

She waited for Danny to hastily correct the woman, as he usually did when someone mistook them for an item, but all he did was turn to the group and thanked them for the dance as he placed his hands on Mindy's hips. She rested her hands on his shoulders and began to rock in time to the music.

"I was warned that you might need saving from Verna," Mindy explained with a smirk.

"Yeah, you're about twenty minutes too late," Danny replied. "She definitely goosed me by the Jell-O bowl."

They both laughed and turned slowly to the soft jazzy tune. "So, I planned on apologizing for volunteering you without your prior consent," Mindy admitted, "but it seemed like you were having a good time, so…you're welcome."

Danny quirked an eyebrow while having a difficult time hiding his grin. "Well, you shouldn't make that a habit, the volunteering me and such, but…what can I say? It was fun! I got some sage wisdom from a lot of the old tough guys, danced to some great music, a few women said I was tall…it was a pretty good night."

They fell into a comfortable silence as they danced from song to song, staring into each other's eyes and serenely smiling. There was a notable shift in their friendship that neither of them felt a need to formally address right then. The hesitation she felt earlier in the day now seemed silly. Looking at him, it was clear that he had feelings of his own that he may have been trying to suppress. _Denying this seems dumb_ , Mindy thought to herself. _Even cataracts-stricken elderly can see it_.

Mindy vaguely noted the sound of some of the volunteers clearing the refreshments table, which she took as a sign that the prom was ending soon. She cleared her throat before finally spoke again. "Maybe, uh, we should help clean up…or something…"

Her attention was suddenly pulled downward when she felt Danny pulling her in closer, wrapping his arms more fully around her waist.

"Nah," he said, his voice low and slightly shaky. "They've got it. We're good here."

Mindy looked up and narrowed her eyes suspiciously, a coy smile playing on her lips. She allowed her arms to coil around his neck as she sighed contentedly. "This was so much fun. We should really do this every year. Maybe it could be a Shulman and Associates thing –"

"Or a Danny and Mindy thing," Danny corrected with a quirked eyebrow and sly smile.

"Fine, or a Danny and Mindy thing, possessive," she teased. They laughed and continued to dance, inching closer to each other by the moment. They heard someone close to their side tentatively call out, "Excuse me." They both looked to find Debbie standing there with her trademark enthusiasm. Mindy started to pull away from Danny's hold in an effort to look more professional, but stopped when she felt his arms remain steadfastly around her waist.

"I cannot express how grateful we are for you both," Debbie praised. "We're loading up the seniors now, but I've left the key on the table closest to the exit just like we discussed, Dr. Castellano. And don't worry about cleaning anything up; we're coming back tomorrow morning to get the rest of the decorations."

Danny smiled and removed a hand from Mindy's waist in order to shake Debbie's hand graciously. "Thanks so much, Debbie, I definitely owe you one."

Debbie patted his hand gently, then gave them both a parting, knowing glance before joining the other on-duty nurse. The women announced the end of the dance and began shepherding the attendants through the exit.

Mindy shifted her confused expression from Debbie's direction to the man in front of her. "O-kay, what is she talking about? Why did Debbie leave the key with you? Are you hosting a fight club here?"

Danny squeezed Mindy's side as he suppressed a chuckle. "No, crazy. Broadmoor actually rented this spot until ten as part of some policy with the center. I, uh, kind of convinced her to let us use it until then."

"…us?"

"…Yeah, us."

"…Oh."

As the last resident shuffled out of the building, Debbie rotated the dimmer until there was only one soft light left to illuminate the room. Mindy opened her mouth to say good night to the woman, but found that her voice had left her entirely. They were left alone in this newly thick atmosphere. There was now soft light and gentle music. The arms that were securely wrapped around her belonged to her best friend, colleague, and the man she had desired longer than she really had the courage to admit and, more importantly, he wasn't running away. In fact, he made it possible for them to be here this way.

 _Maybe we should talk just a little_ , she decided internally. _Yeah, obviously_. _Things have clearly changed, and we need to acknowledge it._ _That's what comes next_. _We should stop this heavenly, torturous dancing and talk._

She lifted her head and uttered, "Um, so-"

Before she could continue any further, Mindy felt a hand cup her cheek and pull her in as a pair of the softest lips she'd ever felt crashed upon hers. The shock of the moment paralyzed her for only second before she succumbed to nirvana of Danny's lips exploring her own. She ran her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck while his other hand roved up and down her back. He tilted his head to the side so that his lips could claim hers more firmly, plucking and tenderly tugging at her bottom lip. She could hear him breathing her in, absorbing as much of her as he could, and she clutched to him more selfishly as the tip of her tongue brushed his. In that moment, she realized that there was really nothing to discuss. They had figured out how they felt about each other a long time ago, and words would only complicate something that was clearly meant to be very, very simple.

With a final press of his lips, Danny pulled away and gazed at Mindy expectantly. She wasn't quite sure what to say after a kiss like that, laced with love, yearning, need, and everything else in-between.

As she gazed upon his face, his expression hopeful and anxious all at once, she smiled mischievously and asked, "But what about Verna?"

With a pinch just above her rear and a low chuckle he gathered her to him once more and kissed away any possible doubt, as the soft jazz floated around them.


	8. Selfie 8: Dearly Beloved

**Intended Caption: Here comes the newlyweds! Me and my old man, headed to our reception! xoxo**

* * *

_Click._

They were definitely an amazing pair of shoes. She had taken at least twenty pictures of them now and the rhinestones on the topmost strap glittered flawlessly in each shot. She liked that the heel wasn't painfully high – perfect for a day on her feet – and still not low enough to be considered, what she called, the dreadful "house slipper height." They were her dream strappy heels, and now they were forever tainted. Damn.

_Click._

Was that last picture crooked? Hell, the tears have clouded her contacts so much that it really didn't matter at this point. Whatever, she'll just change the filter to black and white and call it "artsy."

_Click._

Oh, no. She accidentally caught a bit of the dress in that last shot. No, absolutely no evidence of the dress beyond today. She could possibly salvage the shoes for another monumental event and just associate them with that, but it's hard to repurpose a wedding dress to be anything other than a goddamn wedding dress. She probably couldn't sell it back after sitting on this dirty park bench, but she could probably dry clean it and sell it online, or donate it…

_Click._

Speaking of wedding dresses and park benches, she thought, it's a testament to how fucking weird New York City is that a crying bride could park on a bench in broad daylight and not draw any attention or even a modicum of concern, like this shit happens daily. Hey, maybe it does when she's not around. She truly hoped not though, for romance's sake.

_Click, click._

She was contemplating just how much space was left on her phone when she felt the bench creak with the arrival of a new patron. Looking up wasn't necessary; she could identify him by his Italian leather dress shoes, the perfectly tailored hem of his slate grey slacks, and a scent that was a unique mixture of sage, citrus, and sawdust, something that only he could really pull off. Of course, he would be the one to find her and not, like, her brother or Gwen.

"Danny, please keep whatever jokes you have in your holster," Mindy pleaded. "I can't…"

"Nah, no jokes," he denied soothingly. Mindy turned to him with a look that conveyed how little she was convinced. He shrugged and admitted with half a smile, "Okay, I may have thought of one on the way here, but it's not that great. I'll work on it and save it for when we've reached that 'laugh about it' place."

She expressed her gratitude with a twitch of the corner of her mouth and stared at the park that stretched before her. There was as small group of people doing yoga on the lush patch of grass, which served as an easy target to aim her attention. Danny appeared to be looking at the same thing.

"You know, in my plethora of fantasies involving Julia Roberts, I have replaced her in a number of scenarios with myself, obviously," she confessed. "I wanted to be Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich – oh, wait, maybe that means I wanted to be the real Erin Brockovich…whatever – Julia Roberts in Mona Lisa Smile, Something To Talk About, Pretty Woman – premise notwithstanding – but never Runaway Bride. _Definitely_ not Runaway Bride."

"Well, you're still not," Danny said optimistically. "I mean, her deal was that she ran away from the alter a few times, right? Like, she had a legacy of ditching her weddings. You just have the one, so…you're good."

Mindy snorted against her will, covering her mouth in shame. Considering the circumstances, she definitely hadn't earned the right to laugh or experience any kind of joy, not by her standards, at least. She smacked Danny's knee as punishment for his part, which only made him smile that smug smile she loved and-slash-or hated, depending on the day. The need to explain herself overcame her, despite the fact that she was with the last person on earth to whom she needed to explain herself.

"This morning I woke up and the thing I was most excited about – God, this is so stupid – the thing I was most excited about was the picture I planned on taking in the limo on the way to the reception. I was so eager to post the pic of me in my wedding dress, my perfect hair and make-up, sitting next to my new husband with my new last name…I just couldn't wait to throw it in the faces of those stupid high school snobs and my stupid cousins and just say ' _ha_ ,' you know? Like, 'Ha! I'm _not_ some spinster! I _did_ find a husband, so screw you all!' That's the only thing I've been looking forward to, Danny: the chance to prove everyone wrong. And then I got to the church…" The image began to choke her up, but she wanted to get through her explanation with as few tears as possible. Danny took the opportunity to rub her back comfortingly, encouraging her to continue.

"I got to the church," Mindy soldiered on, "and that was the first time I actually thought of the day after. After the dress, and the cake, the champagne, and all the fake toasts it would just be me and him…and I just…couldn't. I couldn't make nice with his family for the rest of my days, or overlook all of his annoying quirks or even take that crazy-sounding last name, I just…Danny I'm a monster." She finally felt the weight of the situation, as well as her new role as 'The Bad Guy.' It suddenly felt harder to breathe. Oh, God.

"Stop it," Danny commanded.

"Seriously, why couldn't I have just realized last month, last _night_ , even?"

"Mindy, Mindy, stop, c'mon."

She hiccupped as a sob crept to the surface. "I can't believe I humiliated everyone like that! H-him, me, my f-family…"

Danny wrapped an arm around Mindy's shoulder and drew her in until she was able to rest her head on his shoulder. "Min, sweetie, c'mon now, you're definitely not a monster." He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, then settled his chin in that spot and rubbed her arm from her shoulder to her elbow. _Just let her cry_ , he silently instructed himself. They sat for a few minutes while she attempted to regulate her breathing. Danny marveled at how such a scene didn't attract any attention, whatsoever. _New York, man_ , he thought.

"Hey," he called softly, gently squeezing her upper arm, "were you taking a picture of your feet when I got here?"

"Like, a hundred pictures," she mumbled in response.

"Can I see your phone?"

She lifted her head and glared at him in confusion at the very random request. He raised his eyebrows, challenging her to resist. Her hesitation was ultimately followed by her surrendering the phone. It spoke volumes about their friendship that she felt comfortable enough with him to just hand over her phone without skimming it for potentially embarrassing ammo, of which there was a surplus.

The fact that he went directly to the camera function without making a pit stop at her texts or that one "folder of weird" cemented her trust in him. He tapped the icon to switch the perspective to the front-facing lens.

He straightened up, turned to Mindy to make sure she was also upright, wiped as much of the residual tears off her cheeks with his thumb, then leaned in closer to her and positioned the screen until they were both securely in the shot. Despite her utterly confused expression, he emitted a smile that was warm and just a little crazed.

"Smile, Min, it's a picture," he advised through gritted teeth. Mindy answered with a thoroughly befuddled grin just before he snapped the picture.

_Click._

He looked at the finished product and smiled fondly, tilting the screen towards her as if waiting for her approval.

"What the hell, Danny?" she cried.

Danny shrugged. "You wanted a picture, right? You may not have gotten married, but this is still a huge, extremely important day, Mindy."

Mindy shook her head and began to protest, but Danny wouldn't have any of it.

"It is. It's the day that you transcended all of that stupid expectation from your family, your friends, society, whomever and did the smartest, bravest thing I've ever witnessed you do," he said, his voice growing softer with wonder. "You chose _you_. You chose your happiness and you got the hell out of there. You didn't get stuck with kids and a world of regret; you took charge and chose to put yourself before anything else. That's really brave, you know that? Was the timing…unsavory? Sure, but whatever, you did what you had to do. I'm _so fucking proud_ of you, okay?"

Mindy couldn't bring herself to say anything, but she hoped that he knew that the fresh tears running down her cheeks were grateful ones. Danny freakin' Castellano. How he went from 'Handsome Jerk' to 'Impeccable Motivational Speaker and Best Friend' was beyond her, but she'd never felt more blessed.

"So, when the time comes," he continued softly, handing her the phone, "you can post that. Rub it in the faces of all those…cousins-"

"Stupid cousins," Mindy corrected, allowing her lips to curl in a genuine smirk.

"Yes, those stupid cousin and high school…punks," he said with a laugh. "Post that as proof that Mindy Lahiri is no dummy. Not by a long shot."

They shared a long, steady glance, then beamed simultaneously. Mindy reached over and grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together. Danny lifted their conjoined hands and planted a quick kiss on one of her knuckles. She returned her head to the spot on his shoulder as they stared at the group still doing yoga.

"Love you, Min."

"Love you, Dan."

* * *

**Finalized Caption: This was the day that I chose me.**


	9. Selfie 9: Bro's Night

**Snapchat from Morgan: Bro's Night Shots Off! We're ALL winning!**

* * *

The crystal clear Katy Perry ringtone cut through Mindy's sleep almost instantly.

"Katy," Mindy groaned in agony. The music signified a non-work-related call. This was one of the few times she could ever imagine the sound of her favorite singer's voice pissing her off so much. She snatched the phone off of her bedside table and not only noted the ridiculously late time (2:27 a.m.), but one of the last names she wanted to see scrolling across her caller ID. She answered the call in a huff.

"Morgan, dammit, why?" she mumbled sleepily into the receiver. "Why are you calling me right now? Did you guys get into a fight? You have a copy of the list of bars to avoid when Danny's with you, right?"

"No, Dr. L, we did not get into a fight," Morgan replied. He sounded like he was quite bothered, himself. "And yes, we all have a copy of that list on us at all times."

"Then what?" she snapped impatiently.

"Danny insisted that I call you and tell you that he is crazy wasted and that he, along with the rest of us drunk slobs, will be crashing at Peter's place since he lives close by."

Mindy rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up. " 'kay, but you know we don't, like, live together, right? I mean, I'm thrilled that he's an open book, but couldn't this have waited until breakfast?"

"That's what I said, but he insisted," Morgan emphasized. "He kept talking about how keeping an open line of communication with you was soooo important. In fact, he's been talking about you all night, which is a direct violation of the Bro's Night policy. No talking about our women! Jeremy can't talk about Betsy, I can't talk about Tamra-"

Mindy, warmed after hearing of Danny's devotion to their relationship, perked up at the sound of possible gossip. "Wait, you and Tamra are a thing?"

There was hesitation on the other line before Morgan clarified, "Well, it's in process. We'll see what happens when she finds the kitten in her desk on Monday. Point is, Danny would not shut up about you after having, literally, only _half_ a drink and then it just got worse from there. By the way, he let us in on that swastika scar you've got on your back and I know that's not a reflection of your benevolent nature, so if you'd like, I know a guy that can give you something to even that out or, if you happen to be allergic to even trace amounts of sulfuric acid, you and I can sit down and workshop some design ideas and I can get a lit match and –"

"GOD, NO, Morgan! Geez!"

"A simple 'no' would have done it," he huffed. "Point is, everything that came out of that guy's mouth was about you. It was all 'Oh, Mindy's so incredible' this and 'God, I'm so in love with Mindy' that. It's been fairly disgusting and a real buzzkill. No offense, obviously."

"Um, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to take anything **but** offense to that," she fired back hotly. Then she paused to absorb something that Morgan had mentioned in passing.

"Hey, did he really say that he was in love with me?"

There was a silence on the other line – well, silence from Morgan, since she could hear the other men obnoxiously whooping in the background – before he replied, "Well, uh, yes. Yes, he did say that he's in love with you, but that's not the important thing to take away from this. The important detail here is that **he ruined Bro's Night –"**

Mindy could suddenly hear squabbling and the sound of Danny's voice asking loudly, "Are you talking to Min?! Is that Mindy?!" before hearing the distinct sound of a phone being wrestled from its owner. There were a few seconds of muffled scratching, then the sound of running feet and Morgan's voice from far away calling someone a "tiny maniac." Finally, a new person's voice came clearly through the earpiece.

"Min, baby, is that you?" Danny said breathlessly. His voice had the raspy, slightly slurred quality of somebody who'd been drinking a sizable portion of the night. Despite the change, his voice had the same heart rate-accelerating effect it had always had on her.

"Danny, are you okay?" she asked, though she was sure he was fine, albeit quite drunk. She just didn't know what else to say, or how to approach the topic of him actually admitting that he was in love with her.

He had never said it before; not to her, at least.

She hadn't really been looking for him to declare it anytime soon; they had only really been dating for about five weeks. Sure, she knew that she was very much in love with him, too, but she had learned from her past relationships not to rush progress too quickly. While they had an incredibly special friendship prior to getting together, she always assumed that his failed marriage still left him somewhat guarded. The last thing she wanted to do was push him away with her tendency to fall very hard, very quickly.

Thankfully, he decided to tackle the issue on his own.

"Did Morgan tell you I was in love with you, Min?" Danny asked, much louder than necessary.

"Uuuh," Mindy stalled, then attempted to sound casual. "Well, he may have touched on the subject-"

"Dammit, I'm so sorry," he groaned. "I'm so sorry; I definitely didn't want you to find out this way."

With a hard swallow, Mindy took a moment to process this revelation. She knew he cared – cared a lot, even – that was never a question. In love, however, was different. This was exciting. This was _really exciting_.

Mindy's elation was brought to a screeching halt when she remembered that Danny was very drunk. She can get pretty truthful when she's had a few drinks, but could the same be said for Danny? Maybe he just gets especially emotional when he's wasted. _God, it can never be simple with us_ , Mindy commiserated silently.

"Danny," she said softly. "Look, forget about it. I know you were drunk and probably just felt a little giddy-"

"I wasn't drunk."

"Really?"

"No, I wasn't drunk at all. I mean, I'm drunk _now_. I'm **definitely** drunk now," Danny assured her. "But I wasn't even close to drunk when I told the guys that I'm in love you."

Okay, _now_ she was excited.

"I also didn't mean for someone else to blurt it out for me," he continued, sounding extremely regretful. "I had this whole thing planned and…I was going to tell you tomorrow. I was nervous, that's why I kept talking about it." The pathetic tone of his voice made Mindy want to reach through the phone and hold him close. This level of vulnerability from him was very new and it made her feel a combination of a few things: excited that they had reached this new area of expression in their relationship, sad that she wasn't with him to comfort him, and fearful that he would freak out and start to emotionally retreat.

"Babe, I love you," Mindy replied sweetly. She could hear his sigh of relief. How could he have ever doubted that she felt this way? "I love you so much! I thought you might have already known that."

"I did…I _do_. I just knew that once I said it, there was no going back. Not that I'd ever _want_ to go back, but…I don't know what I'm saying. I was just scared, alright? You mean everything to me, Min."

Feeling very swept away with emotion, Mindy struggled to hold back her tears of joy, as well as the urge to run through the streets of Manhattan and find her love. She took a steadying breath and hoped that he wouldn't be able to detect her tears over the phone.

"So!" she exclaimed in an overly cheerful tone. "Had something planned for tomorrow, eh? I thought you said you just wanted to go wallet shopping."

"Yeah, that was a lie," he confessed softly. "I planned on taking you on this tour of some of the places filmed in When Harry Met Sally – "

"Seriously?! A tour about one of my favorite movies?!" Mindy cooed.

"-and I memorized that speech at the end of the movie that Billy Crystal says to Meg Ryan," Danny continued. "I mean, I was going to adjust it a little – that part about the sandwich really doesn't apply to you- and I wasn't going to yell it at you the way he does to her. Anyway, that's what I was planning. And I know you're gonna say 'Oh, Danny, you don't have to do all that'-"

"No way!" Mindy denied swiftly. "This could be one of the most romantic things to ever happen to me! I totally want all of that!"

"But how? The surprise is ruined."

An idea presented itself almost instantly. "Okay, Danny, hear me out. What if this call never happened?"

For a moment she could only hear the shuffled footsteps of her boyfriend before he countered, almost in a whisper, "But it _is_ happening, Mindy."

"I'm aware," she replied patiently. "But what if we just _pretended_ it never happened? You told Morgan to let me know that you were crashing at Peter's, which he did, and then he and I hung up so that I could get some rest in preparation for a very, very long and uneventful day of wallet shopping."

The line was silent and Mindy feared that Danny may have missed the point once again. She geared herself up to explain her position once more when she finally heard him ask, "So…we didn't speak tonight…we didn't admit anything relationship-defining…and we're going wallet shopping tomorrow?"

"Right," she confirmed firmly.

"Morgan told you we were staying with Peter and then you two hung up without any further discussion?"

"Exactly."

"…Okay, that works," Danny agreed softly, sounding somewhat grateful. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Mindy agreed gently. "See you tomorrow morning."

"Alright." There was a pause before he warned, "Remember: I _don't_ love you."

Mindy might have felt very hurt had she not been able to detect an evident smile in Danny's voice. Instead, she laughed and took that as her cue to reply, "And _I_ don't love _you."_

Danny chuckled lightly. "I don't love you …so unbelievably much. G'night, Min."


	10. Selfie 10: Lunch Is On Danny

**Caption: I look sooo cool with my iced hibiscus tea! #Dotties #newfavoriteplace #IwasrightDannywaswrong**

* * *

The first half of their lunch was fairly ritualistic: they agreed on a small, hip diner called Dottie's not far from the practice (after he failed to sell her on his favorite corner deli and she couldn't convince him to eat at the new Titanic-themed restaurant), he ordered a chicken sandwich on multi-grain bread, she argued passionately that green bean fries are still, technically, a vegetable, and their conversation meandered from hospital gossip to, inexplicably, the antics of Justin Bieber, and then, finally, his waning love life.

"Okay, I didn't mean to come across as if I don't _like_ Trina," Danny backtracked for the second time. "I do like her, okay? I like her a lot-"

"Danny, nobody said you didn't like her," Mindy pointed out while taking a sip of her iced hibiscus tea.

"It's just that lately…I don't know, lately I've been wanting something more, or something different. Or both. I mean, I'm with her and it's nice and all, but half the time I'm sitting there and thinking, _Okay, now what_ , you know?"

The young server returned to refill Danny's water and his effort was returned with a gracious nod from both patrons. Mindy instantly fell back into the conversation, making direct eye contact. "Okay, Danny, I'm going to say a few things that I'm almost positive you'll take the wrong way."

"Oh, boy. Here we go," he sighed before taking a preparatory sip of his water.

"Here's the thing," Mindy continued. "Trina is…a health nut, she's gorgeous, successful, blunt to a fault, a little conservative, kind – sometimes in a seemingly reluctant fashion - and in the two months that you've been dating her I've heard at least three fairly trivial, albeit accurate, rants from her. She's you, Danny. She's you plus an impressive set of boobs."

Danny waited for her to elaborate and when she didn't, he pried, "So, how is that bad? I don't get it."

Mindy _tsked_ and shook her head in pity. "Oh, Danny, you handsome, sweaty, misguided fool."

"Oh, I'm a fool all of a sudden?" he countered defensively. "And why do you always bring up the sweaty thing?! I'm not sweaty _now_!"

"Okay, calm down. Dating a version of yourself isn't as great of an idea as it sounds," Mindy explained, pushing her dwindling cup of iced tea to the side. "Especially for a man like yourself, who…" She gesticulated vaguely while she searched for the right thing to say. Eventually, she gave up with a sigh and went with a more direct approach. "Okay, you're both tame, staunch traditionalists and, at times, a little boring."

Danny leaned back in his chair and glared at his lunch companion. "Wow, a guy treats you to lunch and you repay him by insulting him? How can you _possibly_ be single?"

"I'm single right now by choice, thank you and your sarcasm very much," she fired back. "And I never said that any of those things were _bad_ things, per se. They are just a few things that make you the person that you are and those things can yield both positive and negative results, just like my compulsiveness, blinding optimism, and sass mouth."

Danny took a sip of water while he considered what Mindy was saying. He then shrugged as he set the cup down. "Yeah, you might be right."

"It's important to have people in our lives that balance us out, you know? Bolster the good, discourage the bad, manage the in-between stuff…we need people outside of ourselves to challenge us to be better, make better decisions, or, at least, broaden ourselves a little bit."

"What about Christina?" Danny challenged. "In theory, shouldn't she have balanced me out? Or what about you and Casey?"

"Weeell, it helps if one of the pair isn't unquestionably insane or an egocentric prick."

"Ah."

"Seriously, though, I'm not saying we should be with people who want to change _every little thing about us_ , but that balance is important. For instance, you've totally saved me from myself more than a few times, or else my hair would have hot pink tips and I'd still be attempting to stalk Joseph Gordon-Levitt."

"Very true," he agreed with a hint of a laugh.

"And if I didn't nudge you out of your comfort zone today, you'd be eating from some sketchy corner deli and we wouldn't have found your new favorite place!" Mindy finished with a satisfied smile.

Danny gave her a skeptical look while leaning forward to help himself to one of her green bean fries. "No, Grotto's Deli will always be my favorite lunch spot…but this place isn't so bad."

They simultaneously reached for their beverages and took lazy sips. Danny's eyebrows dipped in concentration before speaking again, his voice taking on a more intimate tone as they both set their glasses down. "I think what drives me the craziest is that we don't fight. Ever."

Mindy tilted her head in confusion before snorting. "Leave it to Danny Castellano to be driven to insanity by the _absence_ of yelling."

"I'm serious!" he cried. "I mean, yeah, the actual fighting part sucks, but in the end that's when you learn a lot about the person: what they're passionate about, their fears, what makes them tick. C'mon, look at us! Most of what we know about each other was discovered through a debate or argument of some sort."

"Well, I think that has more to do with the fact what we're always arguing," Mindy countered playfully. "But I get what you're saying. So…what are you gonna do about Trina?"

Danny began to mindlessly rotate his plate while he internally mulled over his options. He did like Trina, but if he were being honest with himself, he knew there was no future with her. It would be one thing if what they had was one of those "fun for the moment" arrangements, but he wasn't even having all that much fun. Breaking up with her, he thought, might produce the most excitement their relationship has ever experienced. Though the idea made him feel guilty, it didn't take away from how true it was.

"She's gonna hate me," he answered, knowing that Mindy would understand without the need of much more clarification.

"So? Maybe you'll get that fight you so desperately want."

There was a brief pause before the friends burst into laughter. If they had garnered a few curious looks from the other diners, they were entirely unaware. Danny's laughter abated with a sigh and he rubbed his eyes. "God," he groaned. "I'm damn near forty and divorced. How am I still getting this dating thing wrong?"

Mindy grabbed a napkin and began wiping her hands. "Oh, please. Nobody gets dating a hundred percent right or else there wouldn't be any divorces. Can you imagine how small the percentage is of people who end up marrying and dying with the first person they ever date? Blech." She tossed down her crumpled napkin in mild disgust. "And I definitely don't envy those people. Getting it wrong is part of the fun!" After a second of thought, she added, "Well, for a little while, at least."

Danny crossed his arms over the table and looked at his friend, a crooked smile slowly creeping on his face. Talking to Mindy always gifted him a new perspective and never failed to uplift him. _That damn blinding optimism_ , he thought to himself.

He lifted his half empty glass of water in the air, in Mindy's directions. "To getting it right…eventually."

Mindy smiled fondly, mirroring the gesture before lightly tapping his cup with her own nearly-empty glass. "Eventually."


	11. Selfie 11: Only In Atlanta

**Caption: If you even knew what we JUST had to sit through...UGH. I earned this drink. Most eventful thing to happen in the past two days. #GeeThanksAtlanta #worstconferenceever #mojitomoNEATo**

* * *

She had only ever been lifted into the air once, and it had been by some forgettable fellow med student whose name was far from important at the moment – or any moment, really – because she was certain that what occurred then all those years ago didn't even grace the same realm as this. The only reason that inconsequential happening was even being brought out of the deep, deep archives of her forgotten memories was because it was being dragged out almost mockingly by this blessed, torturous man who had so expertly hoisted her in the air and wrapped her legs around his waist, carrying her towards something she had only dared to fantasize about whenever she managed to reach the bottom of a bottle of merlot. And the fact that this instance was punctuated not by the sight, but the sound of his hotel room door urgently slamming open against the interior wall…all of this would most certainly be the death of her. She only hoped that she would remain alive long enough to experience everything that was meant to follow, or, if she was fortunate enough, remain alive and simply be forever changed by it.

Their trek through his suite to the bed had been a clumsy endeavor. He could easily navigate the path from the door of his apartment to his bedroom in pitch blackness, as he had made this similar journey a few times (which used to feel like a badge of honor, but now felt like a few times too many). Now the foreign furniture and ill-studied layout made it impossible to make it to their destination without a few bumps into an ottoman or a hard slam into the mini fridge. At first he didn't care; the road to here had been a bumpy one from the start, paved with uncertainty, hesitation, jealousy, more than a few misunderstandings, and yet-to-be-solidified feelings that existed outside of the normal parameters of even a best-friendship, so possibly bruising his hip on the desk paled in comparison. Then came the guilt: guilty for allowing the memories of the other women creep in at a moment like this; guilty for not making this happen sooner, or possibly later, when they had returned to the city; guilty for even entertaining the notion of this being a "What Happens In Atlanta Stays In Atlanta" scenario, even if he did only suggested it because he thought that's what she wanted. He needed so much more than that, to feel this frenzied, yet gripping intensity between them all the time. When they finally did make it the king-size bed, he abstained from the unceremonious drop of his partner onto it, choosing instead to momentarily tighten his grip on her bottom and slow their kiss to a tender, savoring pace. When she returned the kiss with the same fervor and gripped the back of his neck, he came to the conclusion that this is what dying felt like. Suddenly, the original objective of _rocking her ever-loving world_ seemed tragically insufficient. Granted, he was still going to try, but mainly he wanted to just immerse himself in everything that encompassed her, to really get an understanding of what it meant to be fully claimed and enveloped by Mindy Lahiri. If he couldn't rock her world, per se, then he would be fine just shifting it of its axis a little…for now, anyways.

She did not expect to be lowered onto the bed with such care. This suddenly felt different in such an amazing way, but she didn't rule out the possibility that this could all be in her head. This was simply meant to be an out-of-town, one-time-and-never-mentioned-again tryst, right? It was an opportunity to expend the untapped energy originally reserved for an anticipated-turned-unfulfilling conference, nothing more, nothing less…

Then she took a moment to lock eyes with the man kneeling over the edge of the bed. His eyes were soaking her in, taking the time to confirm that she was real. The way he purposefully steadied his breath, gently lifted her foot, and slowly removed her pump – all while maintaining such penetrating eye contact - the way he reverently pressed a kiss on her bare ankle, then slowly dragged his lips up her shin…

No…no, this wasn't in her head. It was different for Danny, too. That revelation alone was enough to suck all the remaining oxygen out of this shrinking room.

There was a line from an old romance novel that would replay itself every once in a while in her memory, whenever she was alone and pining for this kind of closeness: _He whispered secrets untold into her skin_. It was a concept that she never quite grasped, but longed to one day understand.

_Oh, merciful God, this was it._

She felt her body absorbing his anticipation, his confusion, his insecurity, and a litany of emotions she knew he would never feel comfortable voicing out loud. A part of her wanted to stop him and assure him of anything and everything he was unsure of…until he began to slowly nibble her thigh. Then her mind went blissfully blank.

He was peeling off her last bit of clothing when he was stilled by the memory of her confessing that she had never allowed any of her previous bedmates fully see her. Yet here she lay, bare and vulnerable for him when he had done, in his opinion, nothing to truly earn it. Suddenly it wasn't just about pleasing her or experiencing her…it was about celebrating her. He pulled her up until she was sitting upright on the edge of the bed. She looked up at him with a mixture of wonder, yearning, and expectation. He framed her face with his trembling hands and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. Then she pulled him down on top of her until they were both finally horizontal and Danny was, at last, completely, wholly immersed.

Hours later they lay under the cool sheets, on their sides, staring at each other with their heads propped on their elbows. Mindy's mouth was nervously quirked in the corner, as if her anxiety was keeping her from smiling fully. She cleared her throat.

"Eh-hrm," she grunted. "I'm not sure how…what we do…"

Danny choked out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, neither do I."

They smiled gently, both comforted by other's nervous energy. Danny's eyes fell to the space between them. "There was always that arrangement…you know…'What happens in Atlanta'-"

"Yeah, about that, Danny," Mindy rushed to interject, choosing to confess before she lost the nerve. "I hate that idea. I hate that idea so much."

Danny quickly looked up to meet her eyes. He didn't care how hopeful he appeared; he wanted to make sure he understood her correctly. "Yeah?"

Mindy bit the corner of her lip and nodded. "I don't want to leave this in Atlanta, Danny. Do you?"

Unable to contain his glowing smile, Danny scooted closer until his knee was sandwiched in between hers. He ghosted his fingertips lightly over her hip, noting the goosebumps that cropped up in their wake. He thought his heart would beat out of his chest at the sight of her melting at his touch. "No, Min," he finally replied. "Neither do I."


	12. Selfie 12: Party Pooper

**Caption: Here's hoping my new dress ushers in a little bit of Irish luck tonight! #kellygreen #newdress #StPattysDayParty**

* * *

She pushed through her bedroom door and immediately sought refuge on her bed, away from the St. Patrick's Day party carrying on in her living room. Lying haphazardly across the duvet, she exhaled and wondered if ending the dry spell was worth suffering through this catastrophic blind match-up another second.

She could see where Maggie might think he was a good fit: devastatingly handsome, young, successful, and single. What's not to like?

Everything else. The answer to that question is "everything else."

She simply could not sit through another verbal pat on the back about being the youngest CFO of Big Fortune 500 Company (which might as well have been the name, as many times as she had tuned him out throughout the night), or another recount of his "epic" (a word she has grown to loathe) fraternity shenanigans at Brown University, or God, help her, another request for her to pick out her "favorite" out of his collection of potential headshots for his future book. He was smarmy, arrogant, and entirely uninterested in learning anything substantial about her, which really would have been the _very least_ he could have done. Thank goodness she was in her own apartment at her own party, where she could easily break away hide while she plotted clever ways in which to kill her best friend.

_Tap tap tap_.

"Maggie, if that's you, it's only fair that you know that I've come up with at least three alarmingly creative ways to murder you without a trace."

She heard the door creak open and a familiar voice asked "Shouldn't you refrain from blindly announcing your murder plans if you want them to be untraceable?"

Mindy propped herself up on her elbows so that she could see Danny leaning against her bedroom door jam, smirking while his hand remained on the knob.

"Well, Maggie's one of my best friends. I would at least do her the courtesy of letting her know that her untimely death was approaching."

Danny entered the room and closed the door, shutting out the noise once again. He leaned against the door and faced Mindy with his hands in his pocket. "Not having the best time with Captain America?"

"Nope. Shouldn't you be out there entertaining _your_ date, whom I'm sure is late for her shift at Hooters?"

Danny rolled his eyes and made his way to the bed, perching himself on the corner. "Let's be clear: she is not my date. Some of us guys went to an MMA fight and she happened to be there, we struck up a little conversation, I told Peter that I thought she was kind of cute, and Peter thought it would be a good idea to ask her and her friend to come to the party. I don't remember her voice sounding quite so annoying…or the fact that she wore an offensive amount of make-up."

"You mean you're surprised how things weren't quite as they seemed in a loud, dark arena?" Mindy asked pointedly. Danny shrugged in response, toying aimlessly with a stray thread on her bed cover. She shook her head judgingly and asked, "So what's her name?"

Danny squeezed his eyes shut and sighed almost painfully before reluctantly replying, "Cookie."

"Oh, my God, _Cookie?!"_ Mindy exclaimed, almost forgetting that there were other people in her apartment that could possibly hear her. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Danny! _Cookie?!"_

He urged her to lower her voice, not wanting to possibly attract her attention even from the other side of the door. "Enough, alright? Again, loud arena, like you said. I thought she said 'Suki,' which sounded a little exotic. Cookie was a complete surprise."

She fell onto her back in a heap of infectious laughter. Rather than get offended, Danny snickered along at the ridiculousness of his circumstances. He scooted upward towards the headboard in order to sit next to his giggling friend. "Okay, easy. What about you and that guy? What happened there?"

Mindy took a moment for her laughter to subside, shifting just slightly so that she was at an incline. She tucked her hair behind her ears. "He's as awful as he is handsome. He's spent most of the night talking about how much money he has." She noticed the narrow-eyed look that Danny gave her, a look that cried ' _Let's be honest with ourselves_.' Hands held up in mock-surrender, she admitted, "Okay, yes, that might have been something that I would have found attractive before actually being faced with it, but it's actually pretty mind-numbing and tacky. Not to mention, he's made more than a couple comments that I can only describe as 'retroactively racist.'"

"'Retroactively racist'?" Danny repeated.

"Yeah, like, he would say something that wouldn't immediately register as offensive, but then after a few minutes of thinking about it I'd be like, 'Wow, that was pretty fuckin' racist.'"

"Oh, that's no good."

"I know!"

"Yeah, you can't go back to that guy," Danny said resolutely. "You'll kill him before the night's out."

Mindy nodded in agreement. "Hence why I'm hiding."

Danny settled in a little and crossed his ankles. "Well, you can't hide in here forever, Mindy. This is _your_ party."

Mindy scoffed. "Save the lecture; you're hiding out, too."

For a brief moment, Danny looked like he might try to deny the accusation, but then thought better of it. "Yeah, I might be. Cookie's a little much. She keeps trying to make these weird, dirty gynecologist jokes…and none of them are landing."

Mindy snorted, which elicited a laugh from Danny. The pair sat there for a while, laughing at their predicament.

"Geez, Danny," Mindy sighed as her laughter abetted. "I really didn't think this through. I definitely don't want to go back out there and have to fend Chaz off-"

"Hold on! _Chaz_?!" Danny interjected emphatically. "His name is _Chaz_?! Mindy, that is somehow _worse_ than Cookie!"

"Doubtful."

"No, it is. It _definitely_ is."

"His name is not important!" Mindy snapped, though Danny could detect a hint of a smile. "What's important is that I'm trapped in here and I'm starving and all the good food is in the kitchen."

Danny gave her a friendly pat on the thigh. "C'mon, we're being stupid. Let's go."

He shifted upward in an attempt to make an exit. Mindy quickly grabbed his upper arm, a look of blatant desperation on her face. "Can we be stupid for, like, fifteen more minutes? I mean, I'm hungry, but the alternative seems far worse."

She was rewarded with a crooked smile as he eased back into his former position against the headboard. They sat in companionable for a few minutes, simply listening to the muffled roar of the party on the other side, until Danny mused, "Honestly, I'm a little surprised you don't have a pack of Twizzlers stashed away somewhere."

Mindy's eyes suddenly grew twice their size as she bolted upright. "Oh, my God, you're a genius!"

She jumped off the bed scurried to her closet. Danny piped up, "I've been telling you that for years, but what exactly made you see the light?"

As an answer, Mindy emerged from her closet with two miniature bottles of wine and a package of sour straws with a self satisfied smile. "I hid them from myself a couple of weeks ago when I was attempting to eat healthier. We're saved!"

Danny chuckled as she settled onto the bed and handed him one of the bottles before tearing open the package of candy. Danny twisted off the cap and withdrew a green sugar-dusted straw when she tipped the bag in his direction. They clinked their bottles together and took a swig of wine. As Danny tore off a piece of candy with his teeth Mindy asked, "How sad is it that the date taking place in here is far better than the intended date sitting out there?"

"How on earth is this a date?" Danny countered, both confused and amused.

Mindy smiled and shrugged slightly. "Wine…dinner…"

"This is **not** dinner."

"Hey, it is if you're creative enough."

Danny looked over at Mindy, who was smiling mischievously, and smirked before taking another sip of wine. "Yeah, okay, this date is better."


	13. Selfie 13: Kiss With A Fist

**From: Megan**

**OMG, Hilary, my first night in NYC and I'm already witness to a BAR FIGHT! I'm definitely not in Wisconsin anymore!**

**Aug 8, 11:34 p.m.**

* * *

Mindy shoved an enraged, moderately battered Danny into the women's restroom. He continued to struggle against her in an effort to bypass her and return to the fray, but she maintained her ground and continued to keep him at bay.

"I'm not finished with him," Danny growled. "Get out of the damn way, Mindy."

His eyes were dark and unrecognizable, which would have frightened Mindy had she not been utterly furious. She pushed him further into room, towards the large stall. "No, Danny, you're going to get in the handicapped stall and chill the hell out! Right now! GO!" She spun him around and swung open the stall door. He finally allowed himself to be pushed forward and she quickly followed, locking the stall swiftly. Under the fluorescent lighting she could see the rumpled, scantly bloodied nature of his shirt, his disheveled hair, the deep cuts over his eye and on his top lip, and his clenched fists, which had become two tight, pale white masses.

"Mindy-"

"Don't, okay?!" Mindy barked. "Just sit on the toilet and shut up! Please."

Danny's lips tightened and he alternately clenched and unclenched his hands, but he complied with her request and took a seat on the closed toilet lid. The sound of the bottom of his shoes nervously tapping the tile echoed throughout the bathroom. He glared piercingly at the wall in front of him while Mindy pulled multiple sheets of paper towels from the dispenser diagonally from the sink. The space between the two friends was fraught with the sound of Danny's nervously tapping foot, the running water of the sink as Mindy prepared to dampen the towels, and heavy panting as they both silently fumed. Mindy waited for the water to get warm while she tried to decide between lecturing him or simply shouting her frustration.

"I could have killed him," Danny suddenly mumbled, continuing to glare forward.

"I know," Mindy replied curtly. "That would be why I interjected. There's barely anything left of the other guy as is."

Danny broke his stare with the wall to look up at her. "Yeah, about that. You really shouldn't jump in the middle of two men fighting like that. That was dangerous. You could've gotten hurt."

His reprimand was met with a look of incredulity as Mindy rounded on him. "Are you **kidding me** right now?" she hissed. "It was a situation made dangerous **by you** when you punched that guy in the face!"

He leapt off of the toilet lid and squared off with his counterpart. "What was I supposed to do, Mindy?! He _grabbed_ you!"

"Danny, save your Staten Island machismo for someone else. I can handle myself!"

Hands now on his hips, Danny glowered at Mindy suspiciously. "So, what is it? Did you want to hook up with that guy or something?"

"Oh, God! Of course not!" Mindy roared. "I wanted you to let me handle it and not charge at him like some rabid animal!"

"So, some random jerk-off grabs your ass, I **defend** you, and somehow _I'm_ the animal?!" The pitch in Danny's voice rose with his indignation. He threw his hands up in disbelief. "This is ridiculous! You are acting like such an ungrateful brat right now!"

Livid, Mindy shoved him into the side wall and yelled, "Screw you, Castellano!" She threw the wad of paper towels at him and quickly turned on her heels. Before she could storm out of the stall, Danny quickly strode in front of her and blocked her exit.

"Mindy, wait," he urged, placing his hands on her upper arms. Though his expression was still cross, the anxiety in his voice could not be overlooked. "Just…stop, okay?"

She crossed her arms and clenched her jaw as her heart struggled to remain hardened at the sight of his cuts and abrasions. She didn't miss how the cut above his eye still gently wept with blood and the doctor in her itched to nurse it, but she wasn't quite ready to come to his aide after being so thoroughly insulted.

"I don't really think you're a brat," Danny clarified as the previous edge in his voice slowly evaporated. When her face didn't immediately soften he emphasized, "I _don't_ , okay? I was – I – " His mouth shut as he tussled with the right words to say. He released his grip and stepped around Mindy towards the running faucet, shutting it off before leaning against the sink. She turned to follow his movement while her arms remained crossed protectively over her chest. His hands gripped the porcelain and his line of vision remained at her feet.

"That guy was leering at you the entire night," Danny began to explain in a low voice, "and he was just being a jackass, overall. So when I saw him grab you and make some sleazeball comment, I snapped. And for the record, I know you can take care of yourself, Mindy, but that doesn't mean that you should have to."

With a gulp, Mindy finally softened her stance.

"I don't want you to think that I'm just some sort of angry animal."

"I don't-"

"And I'm sorry if I embarrassed you," he apologized as he lifted his gaze so that he could finally make eye contact with her.

Mindy stepped forward. "You didn't embarrass me, you idiot, you _scared_ me," she responded with a tone that was both firm and tender. "He could have seriously hurt you or you could have been arrested." She meant to say more, but the sight of present blood monopolized her focus until she finally grabbed some fresh paper towels and quickly reached around to wet the paper. "Okay, this is really bugging me." She started to gently wipe the skin around his wounded eyebrow.

"I'm so sorry my injuries make you uncomfortable," Danny deadpanned, though the quirk of the corner of his lip let her know that he was joking. She tried (and failed) to hide her smile as she continued to dab the cut. The pressure caused Danny to wince.

"Sorry," Mindy mumbled.

"'s alright."

There was silence while Mindy tended to Danny's face. As the porcelain became increasingly uncomfortable under his hands, he allowed his left hand to find solace on her hip. He didn't know if all of her focus remained on getting him mended or if she simply didn't mind, but she didn't reject or even question his touch. In fact, he thought he saw her lean into it just slightly. After a while, Danny felt compelled to break the silence. He used his free hand to still her motion, effectively pressing her hand onto his cheek. He could hear her breath hitch in her throat as her eyes linked with his.

"I _am_ really sorry for scaring you, Min," he said in earnest. "But I'm not sorry for what I did to him. And you need to know that I'm never going to be the guy that hangs back and allows some moron to disrespect you in the interest of letting you 'handle it.' If I see it, I'm taking care of it, period. If you don't want that, then we probably shouldn't hang out in public as much."

Mindy cleared her throat. The hand being held against Danny's cheek flexed "Well," she croaked. "As touched as I am by your chivalry, I hope that wasn't your attempt to get out of hanging out with me. I'm not letting you off that easy."

"Good," he replied with ease.

They both gave each other a half smile while Danny squeezed the hand cradling his cheek. He let go just enough to let his fingertips drift lightly down her arm and all the way down her side until it rested on her waist. He noticed that the movement caused her to inch closer as she resumed her care. His hands found a way to wrap themselves a little more securely around her.

"So, I'm curious," Mindy sighed, readjusting the towel so that she could resume her task. "What do you think would be a fair expression of my gratitude for such a heroic show?" She paused again to look at him more seriously. "And I do have a lot of that, by the way…gratitude, I mean. I really am thankful for the way you stood up for me."

"I know."

"I was just upset-"

"I _know_ , Mindy," he assured her. "And as far as a way to thank me…I mean, in all those crazy movies you like, the girl usually rewards the handsome hero with a kiss, so…"

Mindy narrowed her eyes defiantly, but the smile on her face grew at the suggestion. "Well, your lips are currently bloody, so I'm not so sure that would be the most sanitary of solutions."

Danny sighed and nodded his head. "True."

"And who says you're still handsome?" Mindy joked. "I mean, these cuts have rendered you hideous!"

"Nah, we both know that's not true," Danny shrugged off laughingly.

Mindy chuckled lowly and brought the paper towel to the cut on his upper lip and began cleaning it, allowing her thumb to graze the soft, unscathed portion a little longer than necessary. "But how about we pop over to the hospital and I get your eye stitched up, get your battle wounds properly cleaned and we go from there?"

Smiling, Danny placed a quick, gentle kiss on the thumb still resting on his lip and replied, "Deal."


	14. Selfie 14: We're Okay

**Everything's fine here. We miss you so much. Come home soon. Love you.**

**To: Min**   
**Mar 21, 9:04 p.m.**

* * *

Mindy would kill him if she ever knew.

And, not to mention, he knows better. He knows how risky it is to interfere, especially for no good reason. Everything is fine, it's finally peaceful…he should leave well enough alone.

But…c'mon. Come. On. Look at her.

God, just… _look at her._

Considering his profession, his _livelihood_ , one would think that some of the mystique would be clouded by science and extensive knowledge of a process so ancient that it has not only been around since the beginning of time, but is quite literally responsible for it. He assumed that ushering in new life every day, as well as being a reliable resource for many mothers, new and experienced, would eventually strip him of some of the wonder, leaving him to his beloved rational thought and common sense that reminds him of certain things, like, for instance, 'Let sleeping dogs [or babies] lie."

But most babies don't have Mindy's distinct mouth and her perfect nose. They also don't have a miniature set of his eyes or a tiny version of his chin. And let's face it: when you think of the bigger picture, their roles in the lives of the babies he and Mindy deliver are fairly small and, ultimately, fleeting.

This baby, though…this culmination of the absolute best that he and his wife have to offer…is a part of him. He will take part in shaping her forever. She's here and healthy and within arm's reach and he actually had a substantial role in that. She's tiny, living proof of just how much of a miracle life is and she doesn't even know! She's just lost in her slumber, positively drowning in the vast, more-ornate-than-necessary sleeper, entirely unaware of the phenomenon that she truly is.

And taking into account just how long it took him to calm her down not even thirty minutes prior, he really ought to just admire her from afar and let the poor child sleep.

But how can he? Honestly, how can anyone expect him to just leave her be when his arms are so achingly empty and his heart is so full?

So, he recalls how she slept amongst the chaotic noise of the Yankees game earlier that day and utilizes that instance as the justification needed to pick her up, because if she can sleep through _that_ …

He gently scoops his hands underneath her head and her bottom and sloooooowly lifts her out of the sleeper. She squirms just a little and emits the smallest of whines.

"It's just daddy, Carina," Danny coos as he straightens his stance and adjusts her until he's securely cradling her. She wiggles just a little more and then instantly quiets down, now seemingly at ease in his arms. He's a smart man; he knows that identifying himself won't provide any actual comfort to her for some time, but it's still nice to pretend.

He examines her hair for the 1000th time. There's just _so much of it,_ dark and silken. He claims she gets it from his side of the family while Mindy insists on taking full credit. Either way, it's absolutely gorgeous and he's lost count of the number of times he's brought her little head up to his nose and inhaled her fresh scent.

He strolls out of the master bedroom and into the living room. "Let's take a walk, ladybug," he suggests lightly. With her eyes remaining closed, Carina involuntarily scrounges up her petite mouth, almost appearing skeptical of the idea. The resemblance it bares to Mindy's reluctant expression is almost scary. He chuckles lowly to himself.

"You are your mother's daughter," he muses. "I'll walk for the both of us, though. Just keep me company."

It's a slow trek through the quiet loft. The space feels incomplete without Mindy there. He's grown accustom to this new, unfinished feeling since Carina's arrival. He felt it at work during Mindy's maternity leave, with the absence of both of his girls. Even with her return, they never quite felt whole again until they reunited with Carina at the end of the day. Now it's Mindy's first overnight at the hospital since her return to work and, again, it just feels like he's just waiting around for one of his limbs to regenerate. It isn't a crippling feeling or anything terribly tragic; it's just present and a little lonely at times, albeit temporary.

But the sleeping, perfect bundle currently occupying two of his limbs eases some of that loneliness.

"I bet you're ready for mommy to get home, huh?" He waits a beat, as if an answer will surely come, then he nods and says, "Yeah, me too, love. I know she misses you like crazy."

Danny wanders by the mantle that hosts a number of framed pictures of family and close friends. Every once in a while he'll catch himself gazing at the photos and marveling at how surrounded he is by love now. For a man who once valued his solitude (even during his first marriage), he now had so many people he could honestly called his loved ones – people he would never expect: Gwen, Carl, Riley, Rishi, Mindy's parents ("That's your mom's mom, Car! She's a little terrifying, but she adores you, so it's whatever."), Stevie, Richie ("That's Uncle Richie! He's like a model, that kid!"), his mom, his _dad_ (which still blows his mind), Dani – and Mindy was largely the reason this was so.

"Your mother's given me everything," Danny confides softly, gently rocking the baby out of habit.

He approaches their wedding photo. They had taken a gaggle of pictures that day at Mindy's request (some of those poses…Christ. He loves her, that's for certain), but this one is his absolute favorite: it's clearly towards the end of the reception, they're sitting on the steps of the museum and he has his suit jacket wrapped around her shoulders while her shoes are dangling from her hand. She's sitting in between his legs and his arms are wrapped around her as they laugh heartily at some private joke. When they initially met her exuberance made him cringe. Now looking at the photo, they looked like two people competing to see who was happiest. It was something that Danny found ironic, hilarious, and beautiful.

"Car, the story of your mom and I is an interesting one," he says with a hint of laughter, "and you're probably going to hear two very different versions. I would suggest hearing your mom's first. Then you can come to me when you're ready to hear something a little closer to the truth."

He smiles fondly and gently lifts Carina in order to place a soft kiss at the crown of her head. His phone chirps Mindy's assigned ringtone in the distance. Back in the room in a matter of moments, he picks it up to reads an uncharacteristic text from Mindy. It's devoid of its usual mass of emojis and exclamation points. She's sad and he totally gets it: the first night away from the baby was tough on him, too.

She's just checking in as her patient gradually dilates. After a brief interrogation regarding Carina's well-being, she adds that she misses them both very, very much.

Danny begins to type a reply, then immediately erases it to allow for something different.

"Here, let's both reply to mommy." He readjusts his daughter so that she's comfortably poised in one arm while the other hand quickly launches the camera function and positions the lens just above them both. The picture is captured with a tap of the screen and he attaches a brief, yet heartfelt, message. Once sent, he tosses the phone on the bed and eyes the baby sleeper.

"I should put you back," he half-heartedly suggests. Danny meanders to the carrier. Looking at the pristine, empty space already brings about a sense of loneliness. He should put Carina down…but not yet.

"Alright," he concludes, turning once again towards the door. "Just one more time around the block."


	15. Selfie 15: Through Richie's Lense

**Caption: Just a couple of guys stricken with the Castellano Curse! It's always great to see my big brother.**

* * *

Danny made his way around the office desk while Richie followed, careful to close the door behind him.

"This is a really awesome surprise," Danny said jovially as he eased into his chair. "What brings you to New York? How long are you staying?"

Richie sat in the chair across from the desk. "Just until Sunday. And I thought it'd be nice to visit my big brother and share some pretty…exciting developments in my life."

"Oh, yeah?" Danny smiled. "Do any of these 'developments' bring you back to the city for good?"

Richie chuckled lightly at his brother's persistence. Danny had pushed this idea of moving back to New York on him at least once a month since he moved to Florida years ago. "Uh, not quite. No, actually I wanted to tell you…that I met someone!"

Danny's eyes widened with interest. "Oh, really? That's great, Rich!"

"Yeah, his name is Andre," Richie began explaining, shifting in his seat a little. "He owns a theater in Ft. Lauderdale and he's also Italian. We've been together for about two months now and we're really, really happy."

"That's amazing, man, I'm so happy for you!" Danny's smiled widely, then gave a little shrug. "I mean, you might have traveled a little far for something you could have told me over the phone, but I'm always grateful to see you-"

"We're getting married."

The room fell silent as Danny sat still, taking a moment to process the news. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, unable to place his precise emotions, nor able to come up with a suitable response in the interim.

"It's sudden, I know," Richie cautiously broke the silence.

"Y-ya think?!" Danny sputtered as he loosened his tie. "Geez, Richie, married?!"

The younger Castellano sighed dramatically as he hung his head, waiting for the barrage of judgment he had mentally prepared for from the time he had booked his flight. "I know what you're thinking, but trust me, I'm not wrong about this. This is…Danny, this is _it_ , okay? He's the one!"

"But how can you be so confident when you've only been seeing him for two damn months?" Danny was now leaning forward and speaking in a low tone, as if he were fearful of the rest of the office hearing them. "And two months – that's like the honeymoon period. Everyone looks like 'the one' during the first two months!"

"But not like this!" Richie exclaimed. "Look, I wish I could offer a more satisfying answer as to how we're certain this is the right step, but all I can say is that we just know. We're in love, what can I say?"

Danny propped his elbows on his desk and slowly dragged his hands over his face, rubbing his stubbled cheeks. "This is just really impulsive. You have to see that. C'mon, you're smarter than this. You could be making a huge, huge mistake!"

Richie let out an abrupt laugh before shrugging his shoulders in concession. "Well, maybe so, but it doesn't make this feeling seem any less right. And maybe you could stand to be a little more impulsive and not overthink every little thing to death!"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Danny was sitting at full attention now, confused as to how this conversation suddenly became about him.

"I mean that you had every logical reason in the world to marry Christina and I know this because you made sure to list them all every time someone begged you not to marry her. You practically had it down to a science and look what happened there. I'm not trying to make a joke out of it or anything; I'm just trying to say that it's not always about what makes perfect sense, you know? Andre," he paused for a moment at the mention of his fiance, then took on a softer, loving tone. "Andre has opened my world up and made me feel things that I didn't know I could feel. He makes me want to be better and he makes me want to never remember what life was like without him. Doesn't that sound like someone I should keep in my life forever?"

He paused for a moment as if to allow an opportunity for Danny to respond, but when his revelation was simply met with a look of wonderment, he continued to fortify his argument. "And I know that you know what I'm talking about. I could tell the minute I walked into the place and _before you bother denying it_ ," Richie held up a hand to block any attempts to interject, "it's written all over your face _and hers_. The way she looks at you, the way you speak so carefully to her, it's all pretty obvious."

"Okay, enough!" Danny finally stood up and came around to the side of the desk where there was more room to pace between it and the door. "You don't know what you're talking about. There's nothing – her and I – no, stop-"

Richie's eyes followed Danny's sudden movements. "What's the matter? Why are you pacing like a maniac?"

"I'm not pacing," Danny hissed. "Sitting too long can cause blot clots, okay? I'm not trying to cut my life short!"

"We've been sitting for, like, four minutes, tops!"

"There's nothing going on between me and her, alright?" Danny exclaimed, flailing his arms at his sides. "We're…friendly, coworkers, there's a mutual respect there, but nothing more."

Smirking, Richie countered, "And maybe that's your problem, this 'nothing more.' Maybe you could use a little spontaneity – "

"Oh what, like **marry** her?"

"I'm not saying marry – God!" Richie ran a hand through his hair with exasperation. "But would a date kill you?!"

Danny closed his eyes and blew out a sigh, eventually perching himself at the corner of his desk. "We fight. Not, like, crazy yelling matches or anything, but we don't agree on much. She's…attractive, obviously. And I may have thought about it once or twice…"

The rest of his argument died in his throat as he stared blankly at his shoes. He was beginning to remember something that he had told Richie an immeasurable number of times during their adolescence: _You can't bullshit your brother_.

Danny twiddled his thumbs a little before looking up. "So, this Andre…he's a good guy?"

Richie smiled reflectively and nodded.

"And he treats you right? You're not blinded by love like I was, are you? He's genuinely good to you?"

"Yes, Dan, he's good people. You'll see."

The corners of Danny's mouth gently lifted upward in a small grin tinged with just a hint of residual (but understandable, by Richie's definition) apprehension. "Well, if you're sure this is what you want…then I'm happy for you. Seriously."

Richie exhaled. "So you'll be my best man?"

The grin on Danny's face grew and the apprehension faded away entirely. "Of course, I'm your best man! Come here!"

The two Castellanos stood and met for a brotherly embrace. They remained that way for a moment while telling each other that they loved one another, clapping each other's backs.

"And I'm serious, Danny," Richie spoke close to Danny's ear, still clinging to him. "You should stop being so careful and just go for, uh – Betsy, is it? – yeah, just man up and tell Betsy how you feel."

Danny nodded absentmindedly until his brother's words finally registered, causing him to grab Richie's shoulder and push him back until he was able to look at him bewilderingly.

"Wait, Betsy?!" Danny repeated in disbelief. "You were talking about _Betsy_? Are you nuts?!"

Richie looked taken aback. "Well, yeah, I mean, you were just so nice to her, I just thought –"

"I have to be nice to her, Rich, she's a nice girl and my employee."

"And she was giving you those googly eyes –"

"Those are just her eyes! She has inherently googly eyes!"

Richie held up his hands. "Alright, sorry, I misunderstood…but you obviously thought I was talking about someone else. Who –"

Just then, then door flung open and Mindy barged in with a look of determination. She was holding a neon pink iPod shuffle. "I'm so sorry to interrupt a moment that I'm sure was extremely precious," she apologized. "I just wanted to give you this, Danny." She handed him the music player. "I loaded it with all of Beyonce's albums and you are going to listen to every single song on here until you find your personal anthem because I'm sorry, I refuse to believe that there is not at least one Beyonce song for everyone, despite your curmudgeon-y skepticism."

She stepped forward and deposited the shuffle into his hand. Danny furrowed his eyebrows with a smirk. "And you expect me to have time to listen to all of this?"

Mindy smiled at him, her eyes glinting with a challenge. "I expect that after the third song you'll be clamoring for the time to listen to all of this."

"She's right, you know," Richie piped in, amused. "Beyonce is like a goddess and Mrs. Every Woman, somehow all at once."

Mindy gestured to Richie excitedly. "See?!" She patted Danny on the shoulder and turned around to exit his office. "Good luck on your journey, Danny. I'll check on you after lunch."

She tossed a kind smile over her shoulder at both men just before closing the door behind her. Richie turned back to Danny, who sported a tellingly guarded expression on his face, looking back and forth between his brother and the shuffle with dawning comprehension. "Ahhhh, okay. Yeah, I could definitely see that working, too."


	16. Selfie 16: Evermore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the finale of this collection. I hope you've enjoyed these moments as much as I've enjoyed writing them!

**Caption: M + D. This is what forever looks like.**

* * *

The topic of forever was a reoccurring one between Mindy and Danny.

Its first mention took place in her office on a Wednesday afternoon. When he entered she was sitting at her desk, quickly swiping her cheeks and covering something with a file.

"Hey," Danny greeted cautiously. He waited a second before asking, "Um, are you crying?"

Mindy thumbed the corners of her eyes. "Okay, that's a little rude," she said, her voice thick, "barging into someone's office and throwing around accusations."

Danny set aside the original reason for his visit, as well as his personal discomfort at the sight of his friend in tears, and took a seat in front of her. Her downtrodden expression tugged at his heart in an unexpected way. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Mindy bit the corner of her lip and looked downward. "It's nothing."

Danny furrowed his eyebrows just slightly. "Well, it's obviously _something_. I'm not trying to pry, I just…"

Mindy looked up with trepidation and waited a moment before slipping her hand underneath the file and pulling out a magazine. She tossed it in Danny's direction with a huff. "This came in today. I, um…a while ago my mail was getting mixed up with my crazy neighbor's stuff, so I had some things forwarded here."

Danny peered at the cover of the magazine and immediately understood her sorrow: on the cover was a glowing bride and groom, embracing amongst a sea of multi-colored roses. It had been a few weeks since anyone had referenced her failed engagement to Casey and, until that afternoon, Mindy seemed to be coping pretty well. Now it appeared that the late, unwelcome arrival of a forgotten bridal magazine had pulled her back into a place of despair. He snatched it and began to hastily roll it up.

"Min," he sighed, tucking the offending publication into his lab coat pocket.

"It's not that I miss him or anything," Mindy rushed to explain. "I just hate remembering that my love life is back to square one, you know? I hate starting over."

Danny nodded. He understood all too well.

Mindy sniffled and tucked her hair behind her ears. "I just hate that I'm back in this position where I have to meet a guy and get to know him and if he seems fairly decent, I have to convince him that it's a good idea to spend his life with me. You have all the time in the world when you're younger, but now…it just seems like I'm getting older, the pool of eligible men is getting smaller, and all the while everyone else seems to have their crap together long enough to build happy homes and families and all that stuff that I should be well into by now. I feel like some sort of failure."

She furiously wiped away a fresh tear that tried to roll down the crest of her cheek. Danny spotted the box of tissues at the far corner of her desk and handed them to her. He thought she could have benefited from a hug, but he couldn't quite bring himself to invade her space.

"Mindy, you know that's all crap, right?" Danny asked softly. When she looked like she might have been offended, he immediately backtracked. "I don't mean that your feelings are crap, that's not what I'm saying. I just mean nothing is nearly as hopeless as it seems. You can't base your life around what's going on with everyone else's. Hell, half the time people are lying to you about how happy they are just to save face. And you didn't fail, Min. He failed you."

There was a brief pause as she stared at him softly, touched by his support. Before she could thank him, he continued.

"And you're wrong about having to convince a guy to be with you. I know that I don't have to give you a long list of what makes you a good person-"

"A list would be nice," Mindy interjected quietly, a hint of an impish grin ghosting the corners of her lips. Danny chuckled.

"You're upset, so I'll oblige," he conceded. He thought about it for a moment and with a shrug he continued, "I mean, you already know how smart, funny, kind, and attractive you are, Min; you tell me so every chance you get." Mindy choked out a quick laugh before covering her mouth. Danny gave a half-smile, happy to see just a little improvement in her attitude He ducked his head to make sure that they're eyes met. When they did, he continued. "And all of that's true. You are _all of those things_. And when you meet that guy you're supposed to be with, he's going to be smart enough to know that _he's_ the one that's going to have to convince _you_ of his worthiness, not the other way around."

Mindy swallowed and gave him a grateful smile. "Do you really believe that?"

"I do."

"Even though you were very quick to announce to a bunch of strangers that you would never, ever marry me?" she challenged light-heartedly.

Danny smirked at the memory. "Well, to be fair, you were trying to frame me for domestic violence at the time."

The pair shared a laugh before Danny added, "But time changes things. I didn't know Mindy Lahiri quite as well then as I do now. The woman I know now is a woman that any man would be extremely lucky to call his wife. I mean that."

He didn't feel a pressing need to clarify that he absolutely meant _any man_ – himself included - at the time, but he did.

* * *

They were in the lounge the second time, watching an over-the-top action movie on the tiny screen – something called The Day Mother Nature Did Something Entirely Unrealistic and Mark Wahlberg Was Forced To Be the Hero (or, at least, that's what Danny thought it might as well have been called). They tried changing the channel earlier, but quickly realized that their options were bleak.

"What if that happened here?" Mindy asked suddenly.

Danny, slouched low on the sofa, turned his head towards Mindy in confusion. "You mean, what if we suddenly needed to take shelter away from mile-long cyclone that was somehow made of both snow and fire?"

Mindy shrugged. "Yeah."

"Well, that would never, ever happen, so why even get worked up about it?"

Mindy turned to him with a look of pity. "What was it like, Danny?" she asked phony sympathy. "What was it like to have a childhood with absolutely no imagination?"

"My imagination was fine, thank you," Danny defended.

Mindy turned her body on the couch until she was completely facing Danny, tucking her leg underneath her. "Okay, then imagine that we had a really, really awful blizzard that trapped you and me here. What would you do? Would you adapt or would you suddenly feel thrusted into the hero role and try to evacuate us?"

Danny sighed and crossed his arms as he stared off into the ceiling. This had the potential to be a mind-numbing conversation, but they had nothing better to do. "Okay, so a blizzard has trapped just you and me in this hospital? For how long?"

"Forever," Mindy replied plainly, pushing her glasses off of the bridge of her nose.

He rubbed the side of his face while he contemplated the hypothetical catastrophe. "I mean, if we're gonna be trapped, this is the best place, obviously. An abundance of first aide, backup generators, beds, food, medicine, clean scrubs, workout equipment in physical therepy…we'd be fine."

"True, we'd be fine for a while, but that stuff would eventually run out," Mindy countered.

"I think the blizzard would settle down long before any of that stuff would run out," Danny replied.

Mindy scrunched her mouth as she contemplated his point. "True, I suppose…but what if it didn't, Danny?!"

Danny let out a combination of a groan and a laugh at Mindy's relentlessness. "Okay, I'm not sure I would be qualified enough to develop an evacuation plan, but I could probably do some form of hunting and foraging to make it work here, I guess. I'd make sure we were taken care of as long as possible…or forever, if that were actually the case."

Mindy tilted her head and narrowed her gaze. "Hmmm…I don't know. You don't think we'd kill each other after day three?"

He felt a fleeting flash of disappointment in her lack of confidence in their ability to survive together. Luckily, it was quickly replaced by the desire to tease her. "So you can wrap your mind around a blizzard that never ends, but you can't seem to picture us finding a way to exist together forever, even if it's a matter of survival? Whose imagination is lacking now?"

He would have taken _damn_ fine care of them, he though later that night and for a sizable portion of the next day.

* * *

The third instance arrived with a bang of an apartment door against the interior wall as the arguing couple stormed inside.

"Danny, how can you not see that you are having a disproportionate reaction right now?"

Danny tossed his keys on the nearby table before rounding on Mindy. "How is my reaction disproportionate to some guy putting the moves on you all night, despite his knowledge of you being in a relationship with me?"

"He wasn't putting any moves on me," Mindy denied loudly as she slipped of her heels. "He just has a naturally creepy demeanor that makes everything sound super flirty, especially when he's around what he considers an attractive woman."

"That's not helping your case as much as you think it is, Min."

"And even if he was putting any sort of moves on me," Mindy pushed forward, her hands on her hips, "wouldn't I have to respond in a positive way for any of this to even matter? Don't you trust me at all?"

Danny ran a rough hand through his hair. "I trust you. It's not about that. It's about respect. He should have understood that you were involved and left you alone."

"I have a boyfriend, Danny, not freakin' leprosy!" Mindy yelled. "Being in a relationship does not exempt me from innocent conversation with the male species!"

"Conversation? No. Flirting? Fuck yes!"

"I. WAS NOT. FLIRTING!" Mindy bellowed. She took three charged steps toward him. "And you know I wasn't! What the hell is this really about, Danny? Why are you this insecure?!"

Danny's lips pursed and his Adam's Apple bobbed; a sequence, Mindy noted years ago, that would occur prior to him exploding.

"This," he began with a hand gesturing between the two of them, "is new. We may have known each other for a long time, but it's fragile. That's where my insecurity comes from, Mindy, it comes from wanting this so much and not wanting some slick-mouth prick to make things difficult when things are still pretty damn delicate. And I don't know, maybe when we've had years and decades behind us, when you've seen me in my grossest underwear and my thickest glasses and we've argued about you hogging the blanket a thousand time and we've kissed goodnight more than we can physically count, maybe then I won't be so bent out of shape when a guy gets a little flirty with you. For now, though, it bothers me and I'm not about to apologize for that!"

Mindy stood absolutely still, her mouth slightly agape and her breath quiet as to not disturb the atmosphere. She could feel the anger that once occupied the room slowly dissipate until it was replaced with something else altogether. Danny's expression had changed from angry to unsure, like he was in a wide open space and had no idea where to turn for shelter. She didn't want to assault him with too many questions or requests for clarification, but she wanted him to know that she did understand. She finally cleared her throat after much silence.

"I want us to get to that place, too," she responded simply. "That not-so-delicate place."

Danny dropped his hands at his side and caught Mindy's eyes for a moment before giving a subtle nod of his head. She carefully made her way over to him in order to wrap her arms around his waist. He embraced her and silently wished that that guy, and every other guy that ever planned on even looking at her, could see them as they are now. Then they'd get it.

* * *

The fourth time came with a whisper as he lay there, gazing at her curled, resting form under his sheets, her bare back gently expanded with her breath. He had developed a fixation with the image of her obsidian hair fanned across his pillow each night, as well as her lingering scent on his sheets long after she had departed. There was something about their dynamic in the parameters of this bed – the way they made love, cuddled, talked, argued, joked, shared, and just clung to each other, literally and figuratively – that absolutely moved him. It was a feeling that overpowered him at the most sporadic of times and at first it scared him, but he had since learned to find a deeper understanding of it. Once he understood it, he came to realize that it had become what fueled his days and made his nights. Once he embraced it, he realized that he may have loved before, but he had never been in love like this. Not even close.

With her back to him, he scooted closer behind her, running his fingers up and down her side. He had found a new home in the deep curves of her body and touching her had become a delicious familiarity. He trailed his hand down her arm until he reached her hand. The soft light of the street lamp crept through the blinds until they illuminated her blanket-clad form with strips of light. He peered over at her bare ring finger, gently running a fingertip over the sacred, currently unobstructed spot between her knuckles. It was an obscure part of her body, the part that would house a ring, that lately he would find himself staring at more than something more classically alluring, like her breasts or her lips.

His hand eventually found its way to her stomach. Hours before, when he fulfilling his earlier promise to kiss her reverently from her lips to her toes, he found himself hovering over her belly longer than he had intended, flooded with the realization that this would one day be the belly that would grow their children. She had made an offhanded comment one time about dreading the day that she would have to fight to get her "pre-baby bod" back, but he noted how her tone sounded more anticipatory than regretful. In that moment he couldn't help but feel a certain amount of premature pride in knowing that he would be the man responsible for all of it, the baby and the "pre-baby bod" battle, though he didn't find the latter to be all that important to him.

Mindy shifted lazily, just enough to subconsciously grab Danny's hand and pull him flush against back. He settled in, wedging a knee between her legs and dropping kisses on her shoulder. At the sound of her exhaling sweetly, he finally felt ready to join her in slumber. With the parting image of her glittering finger and pregnant belly, he leaned closer to her ear and simply whispered, "I can't wait" before finally drifting off.

Two days later, he stopped by a nearby jewelry to get the battery in his favorite watch replaced. He left with a resurrected wrist watch and ring that he could only describe as "hers." He would just hold onto it for a little while.

* * *

And now he was fleeing the elevator and charging towards their shared apartment at the end of the hallway. Tonight wasn't supposed to be the night, after a long set of rounds in dirty scrubs, but there was no telling that to his heart, nor his quickly moving feet. He just didn't want to go another moment without knowing for sure.

He arrived at the door and patting himself down in an effort to find his keys. When he couldn't immediately find them (something that would normally freak him out), he made the quick decision to beat down the door. After only two knows Mindy swung open the door, dressed in her pajamas and holding a black garbage bag. Her beauty rendered him almost breathless, despite the utterly confused expression on her face.

"Danny, where are your keys?" She asked, the garbage bag held idly in the air.

"Mrs. Carroll was admitted back into the hospital with complications related to preeclampsia.," he blurted without preamble.

"Post partum?" Mindy replied in shock. "Oh, no! Is she alright?"

"She's fine," Danny assured her with a nod of his head. "Total bed rest, bedside commode, it sucks. I visited her on rounds and the poor woman was having difficulty going to the bathroom in the commode and she was making the biggest mess all over the place. But her husband, Doug, was there and he was so good, Min. He was cleaning up the floor and helping her wipe herself without a second thought. There are still some nurses that have trouble dealing with messes like that and he was right there, making sure she wasn't embarrassed and all the while, looking at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world."

Mindy stood there silently with her eyebrows furrowed, concentrating intently on him. Neither of them made a move to enter the apartment.

"Mindy, I thought the stuff I'd be the most excited about would be vacations and romantic dinners and retiring together, but today I realized what I'm most excited about are all the gross things that you can only experience with someone who is truly a part of you. I'm ready to be the one who wipes the crust from your eyes in the morning and helps you go to the bathroom when you can't go by yourself anymore…to handle your dirty laundry and pick up your feminine hygiene products from the store…to pull your hair out of the drain and wipe your brow when you're giving birth. I have to be the one you turn to for comfort and reassurance not just through the pretty times, but through all the ugly, too."

A sob tore from Mindy's lips and the trash bag lay forgotten on the floor. "Danny-"

He lunged forward and cupped her face just before laying a firm kiss on her warm lips. She grabbed and held on to the hands on her face as she kissed him back. All too briefly, he pulled away to look into her eyes softly.

"Marry me, Mindy," he whispered. "I'm sorry, I know you wanted the Empire State Building and violins and the ring isn't on me –"

"Yes!" she cried, the tears flowing freely.

His eyes grew and the smile was unstoppable. "Yeah?"

She nodded emphatically. He kissed her again, giggling deliriously into her mouth. . "I should have grabbed the ring first."

"I don't care about that right now, Danny!" She grabbed his face and kissed his nose, then his cheeks and his eyelids.

"I love you so much," he breathed, wrapping his arms around her waist and gathering her close. "I'm sorry about the haste, I just…I didn't want to take another step without knowing."

Mindy gave him a glittering smile, one that she had developed once they were truly together. "No, it was perfect. I love you, too."

With one last kiss, Danny bent his knees and secured his arms underneath her bottom. He stood, lifting her up into the air and nudging the door until it was wide open. She wrapped her legs around his waist and allowed him to carry her further into their home. They shared goofy smiles and peppered kisses until Mindy grabbed his face gently.

"Does that mean we're going ring shopping tomorrow?"

Danny shook his head, still smiling, as he carried her into the bedroom. "No need. The ring is in my sock drawer."

" **I've been in the same apartment as my own engagement ring this entire time?!** "

_~ Album complete._

**Author's Note:**

> As I'm sure you've guessed, this collection will include sixteen one-shot glimpses of their friendship/relationship, told through the sacred artistic expression of selfies. They won't all necessarily exist along the same timeline because I am all about exploring different possibilities. My hope is that each little moment reflects an aspect of their relationship that we all enjoy. I hope you enjoy it!


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